Psalm 131; 138-139; 143-145

These Psalms are so beautiful to me tonight.  I want to highlight a couple verses from each:

Psalm 131

I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.² But I have stilled and quieted my soul;

The headlines are so full of bad news.  Sin is growing more and more powerful in this global world.  It’s difficult to look at all those who need saving without feeling a twinge of uselessness.  How on earth can one person like me make a difference?  In an effort to curb anxiety in my life, I am reading the news with a prayerful eye rather than an angry one.  It’s in those times that I lift up my heart to the Lord and quiet my soul that I feel His peace washing over me.

Note the structure of those words again: I have stilled and quieted my soul.  Who is the subject?  I.  Many times Bible verses say that the Lord has done the stilling and the quieting.  But in this case, the psalmist comes before God purposefully and humbly and admits that he doesn’t have the answers to the big questions.  The act of doing that results in a soul that is stilled and quiet.  What a lesson for this anxiety-prone person to learn!

Psalm 138

The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me;

Just prior to that verse, the psalmist writes his wish that the kings of the earth would join him in praising the Lord when they hear the words of his mouth. He thanks God for preserving his life even as he walks in troubled times.  As he encounters trouble, he is helped by remembering that the Lord will fulfill his purpose for him.

It’s helpful for me to break it down again.  Who fulfills his purpose?  The Lord.  It’s a reminder to me that God is in complete control, and no matter what happens, he WILL fulfill his purpose for me.  It also implies that there IS a purpose for me!

Is it okay to assume that the words David is speaking to the Lord also apply to us?  I think it is…

And that’s enough for tonight.  Bed is calling!