How to be still and quiet my soul
[Psalms 131]
I vaguely remember the song I learned in elementary school: ‘Plop, plop, plop, plop/ Come on throw a stone/ Secretly now Come on throw a stone ….” When I was a little kid, I learned this song hard without knowing why I should throw stones. The reason I remembered this children song is because it helped me understand Psalms 131:1-3. When my soul was calm, I thought about what is the “stone” that breaks stillness and quietness. I am sure there are several stones. I think those stones can be difficult circumstances, people’s criticism, difficult relationships, economic problems, stress, etc. that can break stillness and quietness of our souls. But I think the most destructive "stone" is ourselves. In other words, there is a "stone" in us that destroys the stillness and quietness of the soul from God. That "stone" is nothing but proud (Ps. 131:1). In another word David says that proud is ‘My eyes are haughty’ (v. 1). A person with haughty eyes is the person who strives for great matters or things that are too wonderful for him (v. 1). It can be said that he is the person who forgets himself, thinks higher than himself, and puts effort into it. For example, I think it indicates that a person who has received one talent from the Lord raises his haughty eyes and tries to do his job with envy for the person who receives two or five talents. In doing so, he loses stillness and quietness of his soul.
As a pastor, reading a Christian newspaper, I lost stillness and quietness of my soul for a moment. As I saw the various wonderful pastors and their ministries in the newspapers and in writing and photographs, I felt my own soul's stillness and quietness broken. When I thought about why this was the case, I think it is because I raised my haughty eyes like the words of Psalms 131 :1. That is, proud has penetrated into my heart. That's why I thought bigger than my true self while comparing myself to those pastors. It is Satan's terrifying weapon that makes him forget his true self before God in a sense of competition, especially this proud that makes him look bigger. So the way I did it was I stopped reading the newspaper and also told my soul to bless those pastors.
Therefore, in order to still and quiet our souls, the first thing we must do is fight proud. We shouldn’t concern ourselves with great matters or things too wonderful for us (v. 1). We only need to know the talents God has given us, be humble and faithful, and do our job well. We must not be greedy for a position or success or work that we cannot reach. We must tolerate and love ourselves with the love of God, who accepts and loves us. In doing so, we will not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith (Rom. 12:3).
case, you will live with "Do not have more thoughts than you deserve, but think wisely according to the amount of faith God has given to each person" (Rom. 12:3).
We must hope in the Lord while fighting “proud” (Ps. 131:3). Then we will be able to still and quiet our souls (v. 2). David teaches us that our hearts that hope in God should be the center of the weaned child. Scholars say that in Old Testament Hebrew mothers weaning was about two to three years after the baby was born. Then it seems that the weaned child’s age is about my second daughter, Yeun (1 year old) or my first daughter, Yeri (3 years old). In particular, while thinking of Yeun, the weaned child’s soul was in the arms of her mother, and the appearance of her face was very calm when she fell asleep (v. 2). At that time, Yeun expressed by hand that she didn’t need a dad, or foods, no toys. All the child needs is a mother. Psalms 131:2 comes closer to my heart when I think of Yeun, who fell asleep quietly in the arms of her mother. David turned away from proud and went to the Lord as the weaned child. He wrote this song of ascent to the temple with the desire to be in the arms of Heavenly Father. If so, we must go up to the church on the Lord’s day, longing for Heavenly Father's arms like David. In order to get true peace in the arms of that love, we must self-reflect to see if our hearts are humble like the weaned child. If we are proud, we must repent and receive the guidance of the Holy Spirit even before the throne of God's grace. We must put our souls in His arms as we praise and worship the God of salvation before the throne of His grace. Then our souls will be able to enjoy stillness and quietness.
Always longing for the arms of Heavenly Father who gives true rest to my soul,
James Kim
(Thanking God for reminding me of my pride through the words of Psalms 131 during the early morning prayer meeting on Friday and for making me yearn for the heart of the weaned child)