By David ReayFriday 16 Feb 2018LifeWords DevotionalsFaithReading Time: 2 minutes
Read Psalm 131
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. (NIV)
This Psalm takes a short time to read but a lifetime to learn its lessons. The basic imagery is that of a child who is content to be with her mother even if she does not need her mother’s milk. Just being with the mother is enough. The mother is not a means to an end; the mother is not someone who exists primarily to satisfy the immediate felt needs of the child.
And so we are urged to have the same attitude to God. We do not see God as some cosmic vending machine dispensing all our wishes and desires. Of course, we can come to God at any time with our needs just as a child goes to his parents when in need. But how do we feel if those we love only draw close to us when they want something from us? Merely functional relationships are rarely satisfying.
We are encouraged to rest in God. Not to avoid necessary activity, not out of laziness. We realise we can’t solve the world’s problems. We recognise that some issues are quite beyond us. (Even the author, the great King David, was aware of that). We are not conquerors of the world, masters of the universe, great visionaries who hit the headlines.
We are children who find their strength and wisdom in coming first to God. Plans and strategies and activities come after that. We are children who come to God not primarily for what he can do for us, but to enjoy him for who he is. Our God is not the means by which we achieve our goal. He is our goal.
Blessings
David Reay