As we look forward to Thanksgiving tomorrow, this piece in the series seems especially appropriate. Thanksgiving seems to me to be the purest of holidays. With no wish lists and huge decorating frenzies, we simply gather and thank God for all our blessings. What joyful simplicity!
The other day I got some unexpected time with one of my grandchildren. Ella was out of school for the day, so she came to hang out, while her mom did bookwork for our business. Ella snuggled up to me while I ate lunch on the couch, and we hunted for the Waldo-like character in our Bible Sleuth book. She didn’t need anything from me, wasn’t looking for answers—just wanted to be with me. It was sweet and companionable, and we both soaked it up.
I think that is what the psalmist was expressing in these verses:
1My heart is not proud, Lord,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted myself,
I am like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child I am content.
Ps. 131:1-3
I never understood this passage until I became a mom.
I loved nursing both my babies. Our times together were intimate and precious. No one else could understand the closeness of those moments. But there were times when I felt more like a milk bottle than a person they loved and longed to spend time with. Their cries in the middle of the night were jangling to my already sleep-deprived mind, and when they pulled and clawed at me in a feeding frenzy, it did not feel tender and loving.
After they began eating solid foods, though, they were somewhat calmer about waiting for meals or snack times. Often, my girls stood close enough to touch me or stroke my leg while I worked in the kitchen. At other times they would crawl in my lap or snuggle next to me to get closer. I finally understood what the psalmist was describing. My children were calm, quiet, content, just to be near me. They still needed me, but our relationship was different.
What a beautiful picture of a companionable reliance on God! We continue to hope in Him, waiting for something that hasn’t happened yet. But more than that, we just want to be near Him. Psalm 131 gives even more wisdom about waiting:
First, not to be proud. Like verse one says, we don’t need to act like a know it all, telling God (and others) what to do, how and when to do it, as if we know what’s best. We can come to God in childlike trust instead of with our to-do list.
Secondly, we don’t need to constantly question God, demanding answers to mysteries He has chosen to keep secret for now. If we trust Him, we won’t need to fret about the unknowns.
And third, we can learn to lean into Him during devotions and moments of praise throughout the day, without asking for a single thing. Instead of a nursing baby who wants to be fed at the first hunger pang, demanding and impatient, we can calm and quiet our souls.
How do we do that? By looking at how faithful He’s been to believers throughout the ages, and especially, to us. By being thankful!
God is our Hope. He is our place of peace. Our refuge. Our safe place when all around is confusion and uncertainty.
I pray you will take a few minutes to sit close to the Lord right now, and express your love for Him as you listen to Bridge Worship’s “Shalom.”