Grasp the Gospel — Bible Comprehension Quizzes

Psalm 131 Devotional

A Soul Stilled and Quieted

“Surely I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with his mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me.”Psalm 131:2 (BSB)

Psalm 131 is only three verses long, and it moves slowly on purpose. David tells the LORD that his heart is not proud and his eyes are not haughty. He does not reach for things too great or too lofty for him (131:1). This is an honest sense of limits; some matters belong to God alone.

Then comes the picture. David has calmed and quieted his soul, like a weaned child resting with its mother (131:2). It is the image of a child who no longer comes to its mother only to be fed, but is content simply to be near her. David has quieted himself, choosing to rest rather than grasp. Then he calls all Israel to hope in the LORD, now and forever (131:3). Jesus said that childlike humility marks the greatest in his kingdom (Matthew 18:4). A restless heart does not have to understand everything to be at peace. It can rest beside the God who does.

To think about: What matter too lofty for you could you set down today, so that your soul can rest quietly with God?

About Psalm 131: The Quiet Trust of a Weaned Child

David tells the LORD he has set aside pride and ambitions beyond his reach. He has calmed his soul so that it rests like a young child content beside its mother, and he calls all Israel to trust the LORD now and always.

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