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Dear Members of the Our Savior Lutheran Church Email Prayer Chain, Child-Like Trust in the Lord
My heart is not proud, O LORD,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.
But I have stilled and quieted my soul;
like a weaned child with its mother,
like a weaned child is my soul within me. – Psalm 131:1-2
This song, like most of the Psalms, was written by David - the man who would be Israel's greatest king. Is David who comes to mind when you think of someone "not involved in great matters" (kingdom conflicts, maybe)? Or unbothered by "things too difficult" (slaying a giant, anyone)? No, to me, this doesn't really sound like David. Doesn't really sound like me most of the time either.
Let's take a quick look at three things that stand out about this little Psalm:
- Attitude. David's "heart" - his inner being, his spirit, is not proud... of things he's done, of where he's been and where he's going... but neither is he beating himself up. He is just... content.
- Appetite. David's "eyes" - his senses - are not haughty. He's not seeking to please them. He doesn't have the look of arrogance. He knows Whose he is, and that his needs are met not of himself. He is not restless to feed like an infant, he is not stalking around asking to eat out of boredom like my 2-year-old granddaughter.
- Aptitude. David places the responsibility for this peaceful state upon himself. Not circumstances, not achievements, not even on God. "Surely I have quieted my soul," he says. All together, this is what trust looks like, and why it brings such soothing peace. Jesus said we must have faith like children to come to Him. Apparently, trust is also best exemplified in little ones. David's "talk" is of not being proud; his "walk" then backs it up by what he "involves" (or doesn't involve) himself in. This doesn't mean God hasn't given him - or you - important stuff to get done, just that David has "declared himself free from excessive ambition" (Ryrie study notes). To sing not of self, to seek not to fill the senses, to seek the will only to be quiet before God - that is trust. A "weaned child" knows instinctively where to find it. By extension, and through the example of "the man after God's own heart," so do we.
REFLECTION "Involve" yourself in a small, humble matter today - perhaps a child's squabble, creating a meal, or going for a walk - and see if you can compose your soul.
PRAYER REQUESTS -- Week of April 11, 2010 FOR THOSE WHO LOOK TO THE LORD FOR HEALING
Alice Puckett (Sister in law of Marsha Puckett) preparing for surgery to remove colon and vertebrae.
Troy Hartman [Friend of Kathy Eskridge] critically injured in a motorcycle accident on Thursday evening; prayers for Troy; wife, Kelly; and son, Max.
Charlotte Williams [Mother of Tracy Hannon] suffered a stroke on April 3; hospitalized in St. Louis
Catherine Shultz-Unger Continued healing of fractured hip
Dominique Lupo [Step-father of Lisa Smith] diagnosed with lung cancer while battling myeloma and undergoing treatment; end of life issues
FOR THOSE WHO MOURN Betsy Boone and family on the recent loss of her father, Thomas Boone, Sr. Visitation is at Ratterman Funeral Home in Middletown on Saturday from 1-4 PM. The funeral will be Sunday at 3 PM at PeeWee Vally Presbyterian Church, 4210 E Indian Tr.
And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.--1 Peter 5:10-11
In Christ,
Paul Nickel
Director of Christian Education
Our Savior Lutheran Church
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