Revelation 17
Psalm 131
O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.O Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore.Psalm 131:1-3 (ESV)
My wife and I are thankful to the Lord for the time we had when our children were still babies. Those precious moments at birth meeting a new life for the first time, bringing them home and settling them into their cot and watching them in those moments they fall asleep after feeding. As they slept we marvelled at God’s handiwork and the love we had been given by Him. In those peaceful moments our children had no worry in the world, with two loving parents looking after them and a loving God upholding and protecting us all.
Oh how I long to be like a sleeping child calm and content, in the midst of this life. To be able to say with the psalmist in verse 2: ‘But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.’
How is it that King David (Psalmist) could speak these words? Well, the answer is very simple. He doesn’t concern his heart and mind with things that are beyond him, things that he has no understanding of and no control over. Verse 1: ‘He does not occupy himself with things too great and marvellous’. His attitude is one of humility and self-understanding, as the NIV translation puts it, verse 1: ’My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty.’ Basically, he grasps the reality of life, he is not God and he is not in control of all things, even as a king.
As I’ve taught the attributes of God this last term there are two phrases that I’ve repeated each week, ‘God is God and we are not’ and ‘There are some things, many things, outside of our understanding that God has not explained to us.’ The study of God has left us humbled, as it should! Like David, we should find rest for our soul in knowing that we are not in control, but God is. It’s why he tells us in verse 3: ‘O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forevermore’. We can find true rest for our soul when we humbly admit that there are things beyond us, many things; and when we put our hope in God, trusting that He is in control of all things.
Today, tomorrow and in the days to come grasp hold of God and remind yourself that He is in control. No matter what life brings, He is God and we are not!
Heavenly Father, grant rest to my soul. Give me by Your Spirit a humbly heart and a deep trust in You today.