Journal Ps 131-132 (all references are from the ESV; changes in punctuation are mine)
Scripture: “O Lord, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul.
Like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child my soul within me.
O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forevermore.” Ps 131
Observation: Is agitation anywhere close to godliness?
Analysis: “Be still, and KNOW I am God…” (Ps 46:10) flits through the empty space between my ears.
“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!” (Ps 37:7)
I am forced to note two things, repeat forced (if I am honest with the scriptures): To calm my soul is a directive from God, and; I don’t see an immediate cause and effect relationship in these references. There is not an “if you calm yourself, you will immediately see my hand in opposing evildoers.” Not there. Yeah, eventually the unjust will get theirs—sometimes right now, but yeah, eventually for God is Just.
The point is in Ps 131 (and 46 and 37) is that God is faithful and will do appropriately. Me? I am reminded that the faithful wait upon the Lord calmly, quietly, my heart in peace and not in turmoil.
Why? Because the faithful trust God.
At Sinai, Israel got lathered up because Moses was taking too long to return. Faithless men decided to take measures in their own hand and constructed a golden calf to worship (just in case Moses didn’t come back). They were persuasive enough to get Aaron to make the thing.
What was a precipitating agent in this? What was a cause? Yeah, they didn’t have faith, but how do I know this specifically? Drilling down, what was it? It was that they let themselves get agitated and anxious.
Agitated and anxious about the length of God’s hand: “Is His hand too short that it cannot save?” A sarcastic response to a real thought that invades my heart often enough. I recognize this stuff because I walk in it often. Note not “walked” as if I don’t do it anymore, but “walk” because I do—at least from time to time.
Not trusting in the Lord is not an “overt” thing with Christians; it is insidious, it worms its way into my thinking with little things of concern. Those “things” can be in the category of stuff that is “too great and marvelous”, or beyond my ability to specifically address. “Dire” stuff is in this category.
The only “macro” issues that Jesus has his disciples paying attention to are the signs of His return. And even those are basically “take notes.”
The Holy Spirit calls disciples to pay attention to the little things, the “micro”; i.e., walking in holiness; walking worthy of the Gospel.
The proverb is true: “Pay attention to the pennies; the dollars will take care of themselves.”
Prayer: O Lord: Do you know how hard this is? Of course, you do! If I thought about this hard enough, your 36 months of public ministry was declaring the little things for people to do while simultaneously declaring the Kingdom. “This is God’s stuff to deal with; this is what I am to do in response”:
Cultivate a quiet soul.
Cause revival, O Lord. AMEN.