Quieted

Today's Bible Reading: PSALM 131, 133, 138-141, 143

Psalm 131:2

But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.

The world would have us feast on its delights forever. To find pleasure in what it provides. To daily dine on its delicacies. Our starving soul earnestly desires to savor all that it offers. Yet we must be weaned from the world if we are to walk in the way of the Lord. We must forsake its food to feast on heavenly food and to dine on the divine. We must find our sustenance in spiritual food.

We are not privy to David’s problem that led to his pain. We don’t know what disquieted and disturbed his soul, but we know something did. He speaks in the past tense when he comments, “I have calmed and quieted my soul”. Whatever had plagued his thoughts and penetrated to the deeps of soul was now eased. It was eradicated. It was eliminated.

He compares his experience to that of a satisfied child that is completely weaned from their mother. The pain and anguish from the detachment of what the child once loved and depended upon was replaced with the delight of new delicacies.

The process of a child being weaned is difficult. It is all but calm and quieting. What the child has delighted in is now detached for them. What they desire is withheld from them. All that they have enjoyed is eliminated. The one who had loving provided nourishment, now removes it. Their anguish abounds, their frustration festers and their tears fall. The child cries out. Yet it must be done. Emotionally drained and physically exhausted the mother travails, but must prevail. It is necessary to ensure the growth and well-being of the child.

What once satisfied them must be supplanted by what will bring greater satisfaction. They still hunger. Their appetite remains. But the source of their nourishment must change. Their appetites had to be adjusted. New food must be introduced and ingested. They must be weaned. Through the transition the mother cradles the child. She holds them near to alleviate their fears. She consoles them and assuring them through the whole process. She helps them to cope with the change. She patiently and painfully persists till the process is complete.

The psalmist in likening himself to the weaned child feels the safety and security of the loving embrace of their Heavenly Father. They are “calm and quieted”. They are content within. The angst they once felt is arrested. Their delight and desire is directed elsewhere. They are detached from what once brought despair. They are weaned from their worry and a world of pain. They are now walking in the hope of the Lord. They are relaxed, reassured and rested in His arms. His soul is satisfied in Him.

Today whatever is weighting on your soul seek solace in your Savior. Trust Him to wean you from what worries you. Rely on Him to pull you away from what He knows has pulled you down. Ask Him to make your soul “calm and quieted within”.