Prepare
Opening Prayer
Father, thank you for this day and for your Word. Bless us as we read, care for us, and give us a simple faith in you alone. In Jesus' name, amen.
Read
Scripture Passage
Psalm 131
Simple Trust in the Lord
A Song of Ascents. Of David.
1 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.
2 Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul,
Like a weaned child with his mother;
Like a weaned child is my soul within me.
3 O Israel, hope in the Lord
From this time forth and forever.
The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Ps 131.
A — About
What Is This Passage About?
The psalmist rejects pride and refuses to occupy himself with matters too great for him. He calms and quiets his soul like a weaned child resting with its mother, showing the simple faith by which God's people can trust, rest in, and hope in the Lord forever.
B — Best Verse
Which Verse Best Summarizes the Passage?
Psalm 131:3
O Lord, O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forever.
Bryan first says he would probably underline verse 3, while also inviting viewers to consider verses 1 or 2. Verse 3 gives the psalm's direct call to Israel to place enduring hope in the Lord.
C — Called or Christ
C — Called to Do
Put simple faith in Jesus Christ. Rest in him and trust the Lord when life's complexities, fear, depression, darkness, sorrow, and grief press in, knowing that he remains the one sure object of faith and comfort.
Devotional Study
Transcript of the devotion. Minor transcription errors may remain.
Well, good morning. Thanks for joining me this morning. It's so good to have you. This is where every day we get together, we get into God's word and we grow in our love for the Lord together. And this year, 2021, we'll make it through all the wisdom literature. It's so good to have you here.
We're at Psalm 131. Why don't we go ahead and have some coffee? We'll pray and we'll get into God's word. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for this day. We thank you for your word. We pray now that as we read it, you would bless us, that you would care for us, that you would let us be those who would have a simple faith in you alone. In Jesus' name, amen. All right, here we go.
Psalm 131. It's going to be a short one today. 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 Lord, O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forever. We need to ask ourselves, A, what is this about? B, what's the best verse to summarize this? And C, what are we called to do in response to these words? So A, what is this about?
Well, the psalmist has a simple trust in the Lord, doesn't he? Verses one, in verse one, he specifically says, my eyes aren't, my heart isn't haughty, nor my eyes lofty, right? He's not filled with pride. He's not looking up and thinking about all these great and mysterious things. He just has a simple faith. Neither do I concern myself with great matters nor with things too profound for me.
There are some books back here that I scratch my head at, some ideas that are too profound. There are times when I've read, I'll never forget when I was reading this book, one that I keep on my desk all the time, R.C. Sproul's The Holiness of God, when I was brought to tears. Just an awe of who God is. not things that we don't necessarily understand, but that are too profound, too great, too high, too exalted that we were just grasping at straws, not with things too profound for me.
And then he gives a picture of this in verse two. Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul like a weaned child with his mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. Have you ever seen that before? a child who just rests on his or her mother's chest, no cares in the world, just snuggling in, just knowing that mom loves him. The psalmist says that's what my soul is like.
We're able to rest in God. We're able to trust in God. We're able to just be there and know that He's going to care for us. Oh Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forevermore. We can have a simple faith. You can have a simple trust in the Lord. You can rest in the Lord with all your heart.
What's the best verse to summarize this? I'll let you, let me know in your Bible. I'd probably underline verse three, maybe verse one, maybe verse two. There's only three verses. Let me know down in the comments. What would you highlight in your Bible as the best verse to summarize this?
Lastly, calling. What are we called to do? Do you trust in the Lord? It's so simple, but this is an honest question. Do you have a simple faith? Do you have one object of your faith, Jesus Christ? Do you find comfort in Him? Do you rest in Jesus Christ? It seems so simple, but that's what it has to be.
Because when all the complexities of life are bearing down upon you, you can rest in the Lord. When all the fear and concerns of life are pushing against you, you can trust in the Lord. When depression and darkness and sorrow and grief are tangible to you and you can taste them, You can trust in the Lord. You can trust in the Lord.
You can rest in him. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for this day. We thank you that we can trust in you. We can rest in you. We can find comfort in you. Lord, there are things about you that are so great, so grand, so profound, so marvelous that we just can't even comprehend. For your goodness is everlasting. And Father, we just stand in awe of you and we trust you. We pray that you would build that trust and that we would find comfort resting in you. Let us hope in you all of our lives. In Jesus' name, amen. Well, may God bless you today. May you have a simple faith in Jesus Christ. May you find hope in the Lord. And I'll talk to you tomorrow. Bye.