How to Calm and Soothe My Soul

[Psalm 131]

I vaguely remember a song I learned in elementary school: "Plop, plop, let’s throw stones, let’s throw stones without letting my sister know..." I think I learned this song earnestly, although I didn’t know why we were supposed to throw stones. The reason I remembered this song is because it helped me understand the verses from Psalm 131:1-3 that we read today. I thought about what the "stone" might be that disrupts the calmness and peace of my soul when it is at rest. There are many types of "stones." Difficult circumstances, people’s criticisms, strained relationships, financial problems, stress—countless "stones" can disrupt the calm and peace of our souls. However, I believe the most destructive "stone" is ourselves. In other words, there is a "stone" within us that destroys the soul’s calmness and peace that God gives. That "stone" is none other than "pride" (v. 1). In other words, David is saying, "my eyes are not haughty." A person with haughty eyes is someone who "strives for great and difficult things" (v. 1). It is someone who forgets their place and thinks about things beyond their reach, putting their energy into those things. For example, a person who receives one talent from the Lord might look up and envy someone who has two or five talents, even trying to do the work of those who received more. When we do this, we lose the calm and peace of our souls.

As a pastor, there was a time when I briefly lost the calm and peace of my soul while reading a Christian newspaper that came to the church. As I saw pictures and articles about various great pastors and their ministries, I could feel my soul being disturbed. I wondered why this happened, and I think it was because, just like in Psalm 131, I lifted my eyes. In other words, pride had infiltrated my heart. Because of this, I compared myself and began thinking of myself as larger than I truly am. This "pride," especially within the spirit of competition, is a fearsome weapon used by Satan to make us forget our true position before God. So, the action I took was to stop reading the newspaper and instead told my soul to bless those pastors.

Therefore, in order to calm and soothe our souls, the first thing we must do is fight against "pride." We should not enter the "classroom of high eyes." We must not strive for "great and difficult things" (v. 1). We must clearly know the talents that God has given us and humbly and faithfully focus on doing our own tasks well. We should not be greedy for positions, success, or achievements that are beyond our reach. We must accept and love ourselves with the love of God, who accepts and loves us just as we are. When we do this, we will "not think of ourselves more highly than we ought, but think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith" (Romans 12:3).

While fighting against "pride", we must also look to God (Psalm 131:3). By doing so, our souls will be able to find calm and peace. David teaches us that our heart when looking to God must be like the heart of a "weaned child." Scholars say that in the Old Testament, Hebrew mothers typically weaned their children after about 2-3 years. So, it seems that David is speaking about children like my second daughter, Yeun (1 year old), or my first daughter, Yeri (3 years old). Especially when I think of Yeun, the expression on her face when she falls asleep in her mother's arms reflects such calm and peace (verse 2). At that moment, Yeun expresses with her hands that she doesn’t need her dad, food, or toys. All she needs is her mother. When I think about Yeun, peacefully sleeping in her mother's arms, verse 2 of today’s passage draws closer to me. David teaches us to stay away from pride and to draw near to the Lord with a heart like that of a "weaned child." He wrote this "Song of Ascents" with the desire to be embraced in the arms of God the Father.

Therefore, as we approach Sunday worship, we should climb like David, longing for the embrace of God the Father. To find true peace in His loving embrace, we need to reflect on whether our hearts are humble like that of a weaned child. If there is pride in us, we must repent and allow the Holy Spirit to guide us to the throne of grace. Before that throne, we should offer praise and worship to the God of salvation and allow our souls to rest in His embrace. When we do so, our souls will experience the peace and calm that only He can provide.

Always longing for the embrace of God the Father, who gives true rest to my soul,

James Kim, Pastor
(With gratitude to God, who helped me recognize my pride and long for the "heart of a weaned child" through Psalm 131 during our Friday morning prayer meeting.)