I Have Stilled and Quieted My Soul

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.  O Israel, put your hope in the LORD both now and forevermore.  (Psalm 131)

This beautiful psalm of David is a declaration not of his perfection but of the intention or posture of his heart. David declares that he is not concerning himself with trying to resolve matters that are beyond his comprehension or realm of responsibility. He has stilled and quieted his soul. This means that he has abandoned the anxieties of life and has settled in to a place of peace. He likens this state unto the peace of a weaned child with its mother – no longer dependent on or striving for the former things and having grown and developed to the place of being able to handle the more mature things. Of this, Matthew Henry says: Our hearts are desirous of worldly things, cry for them, and are fond of them; but, by the grace of God, a soul that is made holy, is weaned from these things. The child is cross and fretful while in the weaning; but in a day or two it cares no longer for milk, and it can bear stronger food.

You may recall that a while back we talked about the holiness process that Christ is walking us through. To Henry’s point, we can find ourselves in the place of stillness and quietness by the mercy of God and the work of Christ in our lives.

David then goes on to encourage Israel to place their hope in the Lord. This word is appropriate in light of the uncertainty of this world. Our hope is only secure when it is placed in the Lord. He is the only wise God. Psalm 125:1 says: Those who trust in the LORD are as Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but abides forever.

We are secure when we trust in the Lord. We can stand firm in Him even if everything around us is in chaos.

May your soul be stilled and quieted in our Lord.