Psalm 131
My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content. Israel, put your hope in the Lord, both now and forevermore. (Psalm 131)
In this psalm, there are several things we can take away and apply to our own spiritual life with Jesus:
1 – We are to be humble before the Lord.
2 – We are not supposed to worry about things out of our control.
3 – We are to learn to enjoy the presence of God, because He is our hope.
Recently Barnabas Piper said that the similarity between every sin is pride. When our prideful hearts prevent the Lord from working in us, we start thinking about ourselves and worrying about things we’re unable to control.
When we focus on things that “are matters too wonderful for us,” we have a lack of peace. Anxiety and worry are often caused by our attempts to control our situations. We often fix our minds on things that are out of our control – such as what people think of us, whether we say the right things in conversations, and what our future holds. However, when we put our focus on Jesus, we learn how to be content “like a weaned child” in the season in which God has placed us.
Often in my prayer life I feel disconnected from God because I am focused on what I want and demand from God. When we make God the center and focus of our prayer life, we can find full contentment, because God is enough. One of my favorite worship songs is “Jireh” by Elevation Worship and Mav City because it expresses how God is our provider, how much He loves us, and how He is enough! When we bank our hopes on things of this world -- money, work, clothes, social media, or even people -- they will let us down at some point. When we drop everything and put our hope in the Lord, our firm foundation, we do not have to worry about our future, and we can enjoy experiencing God’s presence in our lives.
As you reflect on Psalm 131, ask yourself what things you worry about that are out of your control – worries you need to surrender to God. What things are you demanding from God – demands that prevent you from enjoying time with the Lord? Where have you anchored your hope?
By C.A. Carter
C.A. is a sophomore at LCA. She has been at Immanuel for about a year and considers herself incredibly blessed to be a part of the IBC student ministry and church community.
In this psalm, there are several things we can take away and apply to our own spiritual life with Jesus:
1 – We are to be humble before the Lord.
2 – We are not supposed to worry about things out of our control.
3 – We are to learn to enjoy the presence of God, because He is our hope.
Recently Barnabas Piper said that the similarity between every sin is pride. When our prideful hearts prevent the Lord from working in us, we start thinking about ourselves and worrying about things we’re unable to control.
When we focus on things that “are matters too wonderful for us,” we have a lack of peace. Anxiety and worry are often caused by our attempts to control our situations. We often fix our minds on things that are out of our control – such as what people think of us, whether we say the right things in conversations, and what our future holds. However, when we put our focus on Jesus, we learn how to be content “like a weaned child” in the season in which God has placed us.
Often in my prayer life I feel disconnected from God because I am focused on what I want and demand from God. When we make God the center and focus of our prayer life, we can find full contentment, because God is enough. One of my favorite worship songs is “Jireh” by Elevation Worship and Mav City because it expresses how God is our provider, how much He loves us, and how He is enough! When we bank our hopes on things of this world -- money, work, clothes, social media, or even people -- they will let us down at some point. When we drop everything and put our hope in the Lord, our firm foundation, we do not have to worry about our future, and we can enjoy experiencing God’s presence in our lives.
As you reflect on Psalm 131, ask yourself what things you worry about that are out of your control – worries you need to surrender to God. What things are you demanding from God – demands that prevent you from enjoying time with the Lord? Where have you anchored your hope?
By C.A. Carter
C.A. is a sophomore at LCA. She has been at Immanuel for about a year and considers herself incredibly blessed to be a part of the IBC student ministry and church community.
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