Surely I have weaned and quieted my soul;
Like a weaned child rests against his mother,
My soul is like a weaned child within me.
— Psalm 131:2
When we are like very young children, spiritually speaking, the Lord constantly gives us “milk” whenever we ask for it. We can demand things from the Lord and He still tolerates us. The Lord even answers foolish prayers, because He knows that we are young. But sooner or later, after we grow, the Lord will not answer us in the same way. When we demand something from the Lord, He may say, “You are like a child crying at midnight. I will feed you according to My schedule. Now is not the time, so you will just have to wait.”
This does not mean that the Lord no longer meets our needs. It means that He is the one in charge, not us. We are like a weaned child, so we can no longer force Him to give in to us. The writer of this psalm has become such a person. He is not doing so many things to get the Lord’s attention. He has become like a weaned child who has calmed and quieted his soul. He is no longer so demanding, but submissive to the Lord.
Adapted from The Journey of Life, pages 93-94.
Tomorrow: “A Pure and Simple Desire to be One with the Lord”