Calm & Quiet

Psalms Overview

Psalm = a model for prayer for us in different stages and moments of life

Throughout Israel’s history we can see songs and prayers from praise to oppression and heartache. From bondage and exile to future hope and freedom.

Song of Ascent

15 songs with this title - Psalm 131 being one of them

Common view seems to be that this collection of songs/prayers were to be sung by God’s people who lived outside of Jerusalem when they ‘headed-up’ towards the city for the 3 main Jewish festivals each year.

These songs of ascent were songs and prayers of hope of refocusing on God as His people made their way into the land of God.

Given to us now as a model for how to pray/worship as people who are physically not with God, away from our heavenly home. To give hope

like us! Not physically in the Holy City, but ascending moving upwards towards it!

This Psalm was written by King David: there is a lot from his own life that will add to it as we will see

Intro

The focus or heart of this short, 3 verse psalm, is on contentment//peace//a calm & quiet soul.

Now, doesn’t that sound nice. Doesn’t that sound like a place you want your heart & spirit to be? In absolute contentment, absolute peace, in a calm & quiet posture with GOD.

How contrary to the world around us is that though. So much stress, worry, anxiety, failed hope, struggling, searching anywhere and anyone desperately just to find peace, joy, hope, satisfaction and contentment.

It sounds like a DREAM! How do we find such contentment?! In where or in whom are we to trust ourselves too?

The reality is, there are only two places we can look to for true contentment, true peace

Externally: the world//situations, circumstances, people, events, money, successes around us

Are you dependent on what is externally around you for contentment?

Internally: As believers this means God, the God who has made a home in our very hearts and lives within us.

Are you dependent on what is internal, that is God living in you for contentment?

Psalm 131 gives us a picture of a man (King David) whose calm, peace, quiet, and contentment is coming from his position in the lap of God — NOT from the chaos and turmoil within the Davidic kingdom in which there was plenty! But from simply sitting in the lap of his Father, his soul is content and at rest.

As there are 3 verses, we will see that David has structured this psalm into three main points:

David’s denial and rejection of pride

David’s humble positioning of himself as a child in his mothers lap

David’s call for Isreal to join him in this posture of contentment, hope, peace and quiet waiting on the Lord.

Passage: Psalm 131

Psalm 131 (NIV)

A song of ascents. Of David.

1 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.

2 But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content.

3 Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore.

Prayer

Body

Verse 1 (David’s denial and rejection of pride)

Psalm 131:1 NIV

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.

David opens this psalm by addressing a core human nature issue: that of pride.

This pride, this sin nature; this is the default of humans outside of God.

We see this on full display in the Garden of Eden in the story of Adam and Eve and the fall

In Genesis 3 we see the sin pattern that we can then follow throughout the rest of the Biblical narrative and into our lives today: and pride is a BIG part of it

God created Adam & Eve to rule the world under His wisdom, under the same understanding. To trust God in all things, for contentment and peace and fulfillment to come from submission to God and living in the freedom that comes from leaning on HIS understanding! This is what we were made for! What YOU were made for to RULE the world WITH God FULLY UNDER HIS WISDOM!

And we all know the story, God said you may eat of the fruit of any tree except that of the knowledge of good and bad… why? It’s all apart of the design, apart of God’s ideal for humanity. We were designed to LEAN on God’s understanding… to TRUST in Him to define what is good, to define what is bad.

But Eve disobeyed. And this is where we see the sin pattern, the pride in the human heart break free and seize control.

Eve SAW the tree.... she noticed it look good and was PLEASING to her eyes.... she DESIRED it.... and then she TOOK it for herself

THIS is sin! It is the failure to listen and obey God. The failure to lean on God’s understanding and trust in HIS wisdom to define what is good and bad… it is to see what is good in our eyes, to desire it, and to take it for ourselves. Sin is defining good and bad in your OWN eyes rather than trusting in God’s wisdom to do so. Pride is seizing control of your own life based on your own understanding; seeing it as better or higher than God’s.

How prideful, how haughty… And now we live in a world filled with people defining good and bad in their own eyes… chaos! A world full of people with hands closed trying to CONTROL their entire life, fighting for self-preservation when we have a God who made us to give Him control, entrusting our entire care to Him.

And the Bible shows us that it is impossible for man for women to listen & obey God; to fully lean on His understanding. For we are all born into sin, so we are all born with this inability to trust God’s wisdom and obey. We are all born with this pride that compels us to live for self and for what is good in our eyes. We have fallen so far from the purpose and intention of why God created us.

So don’t ever think pride is of no danger to you, that you are not at risk of falling into pride or acting pridefully. We are ALL predisposed to pride… it is the default of the human heart ever since the fall.

Right away we see David going to WAR against pride as he approaches God in prayer

There is a basic breakdown of pride: we can see 3 different levels.

The heart level: My heart is not proud

David starts with his heart, his soul, the core and totality of who he is. He is making WAR on pride at the heart level: the source of feelings and emotions and instinctual behavior David is attacking the heart!

Forms of pride:

overvaluing of self: Arrogantly believing so highly of self and wanting others to KNOW it.

undervaluing self: rooted in DESIRE, in WANTING more so you throw pity parties for yourself. Saying things like I am not good enough, not pretty enough, not talented enough: ALL in the hopes of those around you joining in to comfort.

undervaluing others: seeing the value and worth in others as lesser than, elevating yourself.

Pride is sneaky, it is dangerous, it is harmful, and it is in all of us.

We all have the bias to LEAN on our OWN understanding.... Success, wealth, influence can all feed this: and David was a KING! But he was attacking pride right at its source, my heart will NOT be proud: I will NOT overvalue myself, my thoughts my feelings will NOT flow out of a source of pride, it can’t and it won’t.

The public or appearance level: My eyes are not haughty

Haughty eyes are simply the overflow of pride from the heart, the position and appearance our body takes from it.

Haughty eyes, stiff neck, high head, a smug countenance.

King David goes to WAR against pride now at this second level, at the public level!

If any pride has seeped beyond my heart he is attacking it at the next level!

Understands pride is so sneaky and it can flow out of his heart and enter the public arena, so he is going to war before God saying my eyes are NOT HAUGHTY, they can’t be! There is no room for that Lord! I will NOT communicate pride to those around me.

The active level: I do not concern myself with great matters or things to wonderful for me

This level… pride is strong. Self understanding drives us more than we can realize.

Again LOOK at the story of the fall! When the snake was tempting Eve, you know what humility and trust in God says.... it says NOOO! What you’re saying, this road you are trying to lead me down it is BEYOND myself. It is far too great and wonderful for me. God said this, God said not to eat of this tree and that is ALL I need to know, that is enough! I don’t NEED to understand it, I don’t NEED to know why, I don’t NEED to know how long until we can eat from this tree if we can ever eat from this tree, ALL I NEED TO KNOW IS GOD and He said not to touch…

But what did Eve do? What does pride do? At the active level it concerns itself with things too great… it leans on self understanding and strives for what it wants, for what is good in their own eyes, it takes control.

Pride hears the snake and sees the tree and begins the DOWNWARD SPIRAL of self understanding! The thoughts of BUT what will I miss if I don’t eat this fruit!? Can it REALLY be that bad!? WHY would God even say not to eat this, it is just a fruit and I need food!

RESTLESSNESS! anxiety! Chaos! Discontentment! All erupting within

And listen David was a KING! Kings were expected to study and be learned and continually grow in knowledge and be the best and thrive above the rest! He has EVERYTHING available to him could have had ANYTHING he wanted

YET he DENIES his ambition to STRIVE for things beyond him; denies the prideful temptation to lean on self understanding and try to decide good and bad for himself

In HUMILITY - David acknowledges that there are things too great and wonderful for Him. That which God in His wisdom has set and acts.

Do you KNOW that we serve a GREAT God a WONDERFUL GOD! A God whose depths are FAR beyond any human comprehension! A God whom CREATED the world created the cosmos created you!!

God’s ways are not our ways!

There is so much about God, who HE is what HE does that we will NEVER understand! We were never meant to!

There is so much about our lives and the working out of them that we will NEVER understand! We were never meant to.

In this that we see God’s good design… that we were made to TRUST and LEAN on His wisdom, and for THAT to be enough..

Not needing to know the WHYS or the HOWS or the WHENS… but JUST KNOWING HIM! That is supposed to be enough!!

We see this on FULL display in two specific occurrences in David’s life. Two very similar situations.

1 Samuel 24:2–7 NIV

So Saul took three thousand able young men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats. He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave. The men said, “This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’ ” Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe. He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.” With these words David sharply rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way.

Saul was HUNTING down David! David was literally on the run like an animal! Life was taken from him, safety and comfort gone!

One day when David and his men were hiding in a cave, King Saul came in to go to the bathroom…

David and his men were far back in the cave and well hidden.

David HAD HIM! Had him at one of the most vulnerable states a man can be!

What makes sense!? TO KILL HIM! TO seize this moment! To end this life of misery and chaos and unrest living on the run for your very life!

David’s men even said to him “THIS IS IT! THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HAS GIVEN YOU!! He has placed your enemy’s life in your hands KILL HIM, END THIS MADNESS! If you don’t kill him he will kill you! Kill him first!

But David… he did not concern himself with matters to great and wonderful for him. He did not for a second try and understand God’s working of life and death, ESPECIALLY with God’s anointed, with a King.

David did not allow pride to take action, did not lean on self understanding because you KNOW what was good in his eyes was to take down Saul

No… he trusted in God, he leaned on God’s understanding CONVINCED that God was faithful and would lead Him.

We see it again in 1 Samuel 26:6-12

1 Samuel 26:6–12 NIV

David then asked Ahimelek the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, “Who will go down into the camp with me to Saul?” “I’ll go with you,” said Abishai. So David and Abishai went to the army by night, and there was Saul, lying asleep inside the camp with his spear stuck in the ground near his head. Abner and the soldiers were lying around him. Abishai said to David, “Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of the spear; I won’t strike him twice.” But David said to Abishai, “Don’t destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed and be guiltless? As surely as the Lord lives,” he said, “the Lord himself will strike him, or his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. But the Lord forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed. Now get the spear and water jug that are near his head, and let’s go.” So David took the spear and water jug near Saul’s head, and they left. No one saw or knew about it, nor did anyone wake up. They were all sleeping, because the Lord had put them into a deep sleep.

Similar story! Saul and is men are sleeping, David and a soldier go down to Saul’s camp and have a PRIME TIME opportunity to once again END Saul’s life.

Saul is sleeping and his spear is stuck in the ground right near his head…

David’s soldiers echo similar advice… THIS IS THE DAY! God has delivered Saul into your hands!!

But AGAIN… David says no. David is convinced that God himself will take down Saul, that his time will come to an end and die or will die in battle

David did not concern himself with matters to great or too wonderful for him! He counted on God! Trusted in God! Leaned on God’s understanding! David released control and did not take matters into his own hands!

David refused to do what was good in his eyes.... and sure enough not too long after Saul did in fact lose his life.

Pride wants control, pride wants to make sense of everything, pride wants to know and understand everything! Pride makes it impossible to humble yourself and trust in God! So what do we do!?

Verse 2 (David’s humble positioning of himself as a child in his mothers lap)

Psalm 131:2 NIV

But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content.

I have calmed and quieted myself

This is what David did… he calmed his soul, he quieted all the noise.

He took the time to intentionally STOP - stop looking at the world and situations around him so the external does not become his source of contentment, but STOPPED so he could focus on the internal, on God.

I am like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child I am content

This is the example, the image that David gives us as to what this contentment, what this leaning on Gods understanding over our prideful self looks like

It looks like a weaned child sitting in it’s mothers lap

Father of a 2 year old girl (Rowen) and 4 month old girl (Elroi)

4 month old is not weaned

When my wife holds her all my wife wants to do is cuddle… but so often Elroi becomes RESTLESS! Tummy is rumbling and she is anxious she is scared ALL she knows is that she is hungry and in her own understanding she does not know when she will get fed next if she will ever get fed next! Doesn’t know how much she will get fed and it is like the END OF HER WORLD!

But our oldest daughter, she has been weaned off of mothers milk.

She has had a taste of real food… of mac n cheese, crackers, hot dogs, soups, muffins!!… she has NO DESIRE to go back to breastmilk!

The very thing she once cried out for, was restless over and depended on, it is now something she no longer needs! Something she has no desire to go back too!!

For she has tasted REAL food! Filling food! She has tasted REAL contentment

And NOW she can sit in mama’s lap, nestled up in mama’s arms and no longer freak out and be anxious and worry about when she will be fed next and needing milk.

But she can sit there because Mom is AWESOME… and sitting in her lap is the sweetest, calmest, safest place in the universe. There’s no place she would rather be. She can rest knowing food will come, and when it does it’s going to be good filling satisfying food.

This is the heart position, the posture David has grown to take and be

To no longer allow pride to be the food of his contentment

No longer need to eat on control, self-preservation, self-understanding, needing to know everything; know the why’s or the when’s or the how’s behind it all.

That is the unweaned child in the lap of God.

Restless, anxious, worried, afraid!! NEEDING to control their situations, NEEDING to understand, NEEDING to know WHEN God will answer this prayer or WHY a certain event happened. Searching for the breastmilk!

It is ALL external dependency. And once you get it you find false contentment and then before you know it it is back to the restless state needing more.

CHECK YOURSELF: What is it that leads you into a place of restless anxiety before the Lord?!

God wants to WEAN you off of this food, this food that feeds self-focus, self - understanding, pride.

God wants to give you another food; the internal dependency on Him

To humble yourself, to submit yourself, to accept God’s ways as above your own and lean on His understanding EVEN when it doesn’t make sense or those around me are telling me otherwise!

But God wants to calm and quiet your soul, and give you true contentment. So you can be like a weaned child nestled up in the lap and arms of God: THAT is where true peace, true contentment, true rest and fulfillment is found.

That means for God to BE enough… Who He is, His understanding & wisdom, His love for you… for God to be enough.

David ends with this encouragement for all of Israel, for us:

Verse 3 (David’s call for Isreal to join him in this posture of contentment, hope, peace and quiet waiting on the Lord).

Psalm 131:3 NIV

Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore.

Cloverhill church… put your hope in the Lord. Both now and forevermore

Close

End your dependency on the external, end the pride and self-understanding feeding your contentment

Learn to calm and quiet our soul and trust in the Lord; living out Matthew 6:33 ““But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Trust God, lean on His understanding… believe with everything you got that He is good, that He is enough, that you can depend on Him, that in Him is fullness of joy, that in Him we can have true contentment

All found as we sit in the lap of our Father… the sweetest, calmest, safest place to be in the entire universe.