A Calm Soul

It’s audio devo day!

Did you know that you can calm and quiet your own soul? When you deeply, deeply know that Daddy God has your world in His hands, you can snuggle in and allow Him to manage everything for you. In today’s episode, we talk about learning to live in that place of trusting abandon to His perfect care. Breathe in His peace as you listen here:

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

In your mind’s eye, can you see the picture described here? A wee child nuzzled up his mother’s arms. Calm, quiet, extremely contented. Safe and secure. Not a worry in the world. A weaned child is one who has been bountifully nourished, fully satisfied, and learned to deeply trust. The child has “no thought for the ‘morrow.” He has learned by personal experience that his parents are entirely, wonderfully dependable. They are devoted to him. He has not even one fleeting doubt that he will be always cared for. His head is peacefully nestled into his mama’s neck in absolute, contented abandon.

“I have calmed and quieted my soul.” Did you know that we can calm and quiet our own souls? The Hebrew here literally means, “I have made level and made quiet my soul.” You and I can cultivate a quiet inner life with level, even, steady emotions. How? The key is in the preceding verse:

“O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty; nor do I involve myself in great matters, or in things too difficult for me.” (v. 1, emphasis mine).

With these words, the Psalmist is describing for us the wonderful innocent abandon that little children display. They are not worried about the big stuff, the “great matters.” They know Mom and Dad have everything covered. The emphasis of the picture in this psalm is on our smallness. It’s a wonderfully healthy thing to realize how small we are… because our smallness is contrasted by His hugeness. He is the Parent. He is the all-wise One. He is the One who has it all figured out. He is the One taking care of it all. We get to just rest in His safe, everlasting arms.

The state of my nation? That is too difficult for me. International affairs? Those are too hard for me too. Where my provision is going to come from in the future? That, too, is too heavy to carry. The health of the ones precious to me? How long they will live? Yes, also too difficult, too weighty for my shoulders.

“Nor do I involve myself in… things too difficult for me.” No, I’ll let God run the universe, run the nations, and run my life. I’ll let Him carry it all. I’ll let Him be in charge. I’ll let Him figure all the complicated stuff out. He is the Parent that literally knows everything and can and will take on anything that concerns me. He’s got me. He loves me more than His life. I’ll just nestle in.

There are so many matters that are too difficult for you and me. Trying to control them, according to this verse, would be prideful; haughty even. Trying to manage them on our own strength and wisdom would be putting ourselves into the position that belongs rightfully to God.

He invites us to do the opposite. He beckons us into the place of a weaned child.

Let your Abba figure out your tomorrow. Don’t concern yourself with the things too difficult for you. Daddy’s got them. Nestle into His arms.

Calm and quiet your soul.

“Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him,
    for he shields him all day long,
    and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders.
The eternal God is your refuge,
    and underneath are the everlasting arms.”

(Deut. 33:12,27, NIV).

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Have you ever weaned a baby or watched one being weaned? Do you have any observations about the development of a child who has been through this process in a fully supportive, loving environment? How does this apply to our spiritual lives?