“Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor my eyes lofty. Neither do I concern myself with great matters, nor with things too profound for me. Surely, I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with his mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forever.” – Psalm 131:1-3
Peace in the midst of pressure. Have you experienced this? Or is it fair to say that your experience has been more along the lines of stress pushing out peace? As worry is a thief of peace and joy, and discouragement is a heavy burden in your soul, so too can stress strain and overwhelm your contentment. I think we can agree this is true on “normal” days, as well as in the midst of various trials.
Now, undoubtedly there are different kinds of stress. Some stress is healthy, some unhealthy, and some traumatic.
- Healthy stress is that which is manageable and moves you forward, supports and increases your zeal and motivation to accomplish various things in front of you like goals, deadlines, commitments, keeping promises in the midst of opposition, navigating relationships, working through conflict resolution, etc.
- Unhealthy stress is that which is quite draining and damaging to you spiritually, emotionally, and physically. This kind of stress can and does wear you out on most, if not all levels. Stress doesn’t only affect the mind, but is also felt in the body. Anxiety and stress go hand in hand. Stress can often fuel worry, and worry can often fuel stress. Headaches, migraines, brain fog, mental breakdowns, body aches, racing heart rate, blood pressure spikes, chest pain, panic, body twitches, etc. can all be related to high stress.
- Traumatic stress is a chronic stress that’s triggered in response to both acute and long lasting trauma, such as war and abuse. First responders, medical staff, police officers, etc. can also experience this kind of stress with the scenes and situations they encounter. This kind of stress can be paralyzing. Flashbacks are very common with traumatic stress and may need help to work through.
Therefore, considering the various pressures we face, it’s important to learn to cope with and manage stress, keeping the unhealthy stress at bay, working through the healing of that which is traumatic. Like David, we must prayerfully work to keep our souls calm and quieted.
Notice in Psalm 131, that David speaks of the fruit of his mortifying pride in his heart. He proclaims to God that he didn’t have a conceited opinion of himself. Neither was he envious of others through “lofty eyes”. It’s true that where there’s a proud heart, there’s a proud look (Proverbs 6:17). That is an abomination to the Lord! If you recall, the tax collector in Christ’s parable in Luke 18:9-14 wouldn’t even lift up his eyes in his humility. It’s also important to see David’s focus to not allow himself to think about and engage in matters that were above his station. Indeed, it’s wise to keep within our sphere and not meddle with things that don’t concern us. Having such spiritual, emotional, and physical guardrails in place was clearly of great help to David. It’s also good and of great help for you to have such in place, in accordance with Scripture, in your life. Maintaining a heart and walk in humility, having right priorities, and biblical boundaries will help you manage the strains of stress and pressure.
Therefore, what was true for David? God blessed him in having and maintaining a calm and quieted soul, “like a weaned child with his mother”. This is an interesting way to illustrate this peace and calm, isn’t it? What does David mean by this? He had been as humble as a little child about the age of being weaned by his mother. He wasn’t hungrily seeking milk, but rather resting content in his mother’s embrace. This is a picture of trust, submission, and peaceful rest. Jesus also teaches us humility by this child-like comparison in Matthew 18:2-4 “Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” So, with such peace and humility in view, David could rightly liken his soul to a weaned child.
Beloved, Psalm 131 points you to learning composure through a relationship with Jesus Christ. It teaches you about growing in mature, child-like dependence on Him. When unhealthy stress and pressure come knocking at your door today, how will you answer? Will you let them in and allow them to run and wreak havoc in you unchecked? Will you succumb to the squeeze and push? Or when you recognize their arrival, will you quickly seek Christ and His peace, so that with a humble, hope filled heart you can stand and navigate in a godly manner in their midst? I pray that God will grant you much grace to do so!