Psalm 131:1-3 – Yahweh, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. I do not get involved with things too great or too wondrous for me. Instead, I have calmed and quieted my soul like a weaned child with its mother; my soul is like a weaned child. Israel, put your hope in Yahweh, both now and forever.
We can learn some ideas about trusting in Yahweh from this brief psalm of David. Some Bible versions will place a title on this psalm, such as “A song of quiet trust.” What catches my attention are some of the simple details of trusting God.
The point of the psalm is actually the last verse, “Israel, put your hope in Yahweh both now and forever.” The word for hope carries ideas of patient and expected waiting. Considered by itself, is this not what trust is? When trust is complete, then any delay in the fulfillment of what was promised is merely a time of patient waiting, for it is sure to come to pass. When trust is complete, there is no anxiety, no pained or striving searching, but merely calmness and certitude until it comes to pass.
David also mentions the idea of humility; trust is humble because it does not try to get out ahead of the one being trusted. There is no vaunting of personal agenda to find out ahead of time when something will come to pass. In humility, there is only a quiet and reserved acceptance of the current state, even if unknown, until the trusted thing is realized.
Trust also does not try to enter into areas with which it is not familiar in an attempt to hurry along an intended result. David recognized some things were just “too wonderful” for him, and in his humility, he was willing to leave those things to God.
And finally, David uses the illustration of a weaned child in its mother’s arms. A child who is not weaned will struggle and fuss with the mother in order to be fed from the mother’s breast. However, a weaned child can rest securely in the arms of its mother with no anxiety of nourishment or need of sustenance beyond the simple protective care of her embrace. The child’s soul is stilled and quiet because it needs nothing more.
In David’s poetic imagery, this is what trust in Yahweh looks like. A humble and content child resting securely and without need within the guarded safety of a loving embrace. When we can learn to quietly rest in the arms of a loving God, we can still those irrational fears and doubts that bubble up within our consciousness, knowing that he is more than able to guide us through any uncertainties that may arise.
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