Calm Yourself

Scripture Reading: 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 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.

This brief Psalm gives us insightful wisdom into inner quietude. David was learning to navigate a life of dependent independence. He describes himself as a weaned child. A weaned child has taken the first step towards independence. He can eat a variety of foods, a harbinger of the eventual freedom that comes with adulthood.

God intends for us to become mature men and women of God, able to make wise decisions and exercise judgment about things without having to be told what to do and how to do it every step of the way. Like any parent, God smiles with approval on His children who demonstrate they have learned the lessons of their childhood by living well in adulthood.

Yet, David also called himself a child. Even with his independence, he was dependent. He leaned on the Lord even while he stood on his own two feet.

God wants us to walk, not crawl, but He never wants us to walk away from Him.

We calm our souls by always relying on Christ, even while we walk as strong, independent men and women in this world

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