Hope in the Lord - Psalm 131

We are all broken, and we manifest it in different ways. We have anxieties and hopes that haven’t been realized. Our lives bear the marks of the fall, but Jesus is redeeming that in His time. The word of the Lord in Psalm 131 is an invitation to trust in Him like a child. Regardless of what we’ve gone through, we can trust in God, who is always composing His melody in each of our lives using our distinctives to glorify Himself.

This psalm addresses us today in a time where people are filled with anxiety, worry and fear of the future.

Psalm 131, one of the psalms of ascent/degrees, was given in a time where Israel was celebrating the feasts of the Lord. David, the psalmist, learned to trust God through very hard circumstances. As a young boy, he stood ready to fight Goliath as he recalled the time when he fought a lion and a bear and the Lord delivered him from both beasts. After defeating Goliath, Saul became David’s enemy for ten years, pursuing him because of jealousy, but the hand of the Lord was with David. Even though he was anointed to be king Saul pursued him. But David trusted God with past, present, and future events.

This psalm shows us David’s childlike trust in the Lord and his exhortation to trust in the Lord.

Despite having experiences with God no one has had as a shepherd boy, his heart and eyes remained humble, not proud. “My heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high” (Psalm 131:1). He didn’t have an attitude that over valued himself and undervalued others. David trusted in the Lord after he was anointed to be king even though it took years. “I do not occupy myself with things to great and too marvelous for me.” He was patient.

What is it about patience that is so difficult? We are time bound creatures who want to feel significant by accomplishing the desires of our hearts thinking it will fulfill us. Our greatest need and goal is to know God and walk with Him regardless of our position in life and aspirations. Those of us who call ourselves Christians, do we forget God’s faithfulness towards us?

David remained patient in the Lord by not killing Saul, despite being anointed as the next king. This patience required him to suffer through pain and loneliness. His dependent disposition on God is what follows in verse 2 (Psalm 131:2). His dependence on God is like a child.

Why do we have a difficult time trusting God? At the core is unbelief in who He is and what He has revealed. Scripture says that Jesus is reality, He is Yahweh, and we are to trust in Yahweh like David did.

David quiets his soul and meditates, which does not mean he empties his mind of thought, but he fixes his thoughts on who God is, what the situation is, and what are the implications of it.

We have difficulty here because of all the chatter around us. We do not allow ourselves to consider the God who is there.

Just as a weaned child is content simply having his mother’s presence, so is David. He is content in the Lord. His profession is radically God centered. In his thoughts and actions he is God-dependent, and when his soul submits to the reality of God, regardless of his situation, what follows is peace that Jesus purchased for us to experience.

David concludes with an exhortation to trust in the Lord and to hope (Psalm 131:3). This hope is not a pacifying wish of the imagination, but the solid ground of expectation for Christians in God’s faithfulness to His people. It’s the soul recalling the promise of fulfillment because God always keeps His promises. Everyday we are to be aware that we are before the gaze of God who invites us to trust in Him like a child.

With everyday anxieties and fears we are to go to Jesus, the one who beat death (our greatest enemy) and trust in Him, His word, and His promises, as He says “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).