Psalm 131
I know something about babies, weaned and un-weaned. I have memories of un-weaned babies – five of them – and how they sometimes acted. I remember Linda holding one or the other of them as they were rooting around for food. It was as if he or she were saying, 'I know there's food here. There was food last time I was here. Where's the food? Come on, I'm hungry! Where's the food!' And if Linda wasn't quite fast enough our very definitely un-weaned infant would let the world know about it in no uncertain terms. David's simile assumes that image with all of its agitation and points to its opposite. 'But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.' A child who no longer nurses at the breast knows that food will be found elsewhere. So, this child can be calm and quiet when in his mother's arms. The stormy commotion of former days is past.
After a long day of ministry Jesus and the Twelve got into a boat to sail to the opposite shore of the lake. And as often happened on that particular lake – well, listen. '... as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!”' For some people, life feels like a great storm. The wind buffets their little boat with the waters filling it up to the point that the are sure they will be completely overwhelmed by it all and utterly undone. 'Master, Master, we are perishing!' But David's life is not like that. His soul is calm. But, for far too many, it just sounds like David is mocking them. Enjoying a life of peace and calm seems completely impossible – but it's not. David presents himself as an example and an encouragement to the people of God. A life of peace and calm is possible for you. It is one of the blessings the Gospel offers. And David explains how you might enjoy a growing experience of this calmness. Let me encourage you to listen to what the Spirit has to say so that you might enjoy more of the Gospel.
First of all, there are some things that David does not do, some things that he avoids. Listen again. 'O Lord, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high.' What is David talking about here? He's using the language of pride, a heart that is lifted up or eyes that are raised. Pride. But understand what pride is. It is presenting yourself as someone you are not. You can do that before others by deeds and words that say, 'Hey! Look at me. Be impressed with me.' But you can also do that before yourself. It's just as easy to try to impress yourself with yourself – maybe even a little easier. And that, in turn, explains humility. This isn't thinking of yourself as worthless. Instead, it is thinking of yourself accurately. And so, David is saying something like this in our text. 'I understand who I am, how God has made me and molded me over the years. I understand my strengths and my weaknesses. I see myself accurately.' And that's why pride is the opposite of humility. Presenting yourself as someone you are not is not understanding yourself accurately.
One result of humility is appropriate expectations of yourself. And that also shows up in our Psalm. 'I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.' That's the ESV translation. Consider two others: 'Neither do I concern myself with great matters, Nor with things too profound for me.' Or there's this: 'I do not have great aspirations, or concern myself with things that are beyond me.' Do you see what's going on here? True humility says, 'This is how God has made me. This is who I am. This is what He has called me to do. So, doing that over that over there just isn't for me. It is, in fact, something that I am not able to do and so I should not even try to do it.' Or to say it using David's words, 'I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.'
But we have such a hard time living according to this kind of humility. I was talking to my father some time ago. I mentioned how I enjoyed golf and that one reason I enjoyed it was that I didn't keep score. And his reply went something like this. 'But how will you know if you're getting better.' That explains something of the inner workings of my life. It also illustrates a theme that many of us live by: 'Whatever I do, I'm supposed to do it better.' The lowest point of my week always used to be Sunday after worship. I was sure that, once again, I had failed at being a pastor. The sermon was terrible. I didn't do it 'better'. But all of that was based on pride. 'Whatever I do, I'm supposed to do it better.' But, humility says, 'That over there – whether that's being an accomplished golfer or even a certain kind of pastor – that's not for me. It doesn't fit with who I am and what God has called me to do. It's not for me.' 'I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.' As the Spirit has worked this more and more into my soul, there are fewer storms and more calmness, more peace.
This kind of humility is not something that is valued by many in our culture. Instead, many opt for that other theme, 'Whatever I do, I'm supposed to do it better.' And most of you feel the pressure to conform. So, on the job, the assumption is that this year you'll do better than you did last year. Whatever was lacking in your previous performance will be improved. It just will be. The same thing happens too often to students. A 93% average in your last course is good. But let's see if you can't do even better this semester. The same in sports. That was your personal best, but I know you can improve on that. After all, who is satisfied with second place. And homemakers are not excluded. You are supposed to be like Mrs. Jones whose house is always immaculate and whose life is oh so organized. Even the laundry always up to date. 'Whatever you do, you're supposed to do it better.' And the storm clouds gather over the lake. My great desire is that we all would be freed from that way of thinking and the slavery it brings; that we all would enjoy true humility. This is a realistic hope. Just look at David. He has not fallen into the trap that pride lays. He does not try to present himself to others – or even to himself – as someone that he is not. And as a result he can say, 'But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.' I want that for all of you.
So, we see what David avoids: the trap of pride. But he does more than avoid pride. In fact, it's what he does that enables him to avoid the trap. David does what he exhorts Israel to do. 'O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forevermore.' Jesus is our hope. He is the One who gives us calm souls. 'And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?”' Jesus gives calm souls. The miracle on the lake is simply a picture of the miracle He performs in people's souls. Jesus has come so that we can enjoy the calm that David talks about.
Now how does He do that? One key to all of this is the humility that I've mentioned. Remember, humility is understanding who your really are and what you've been called to do. It's knowing your strengths and being okay your weaknesses. Now, how is such humility possible when your boss tries to redefine who you are or your coach doesn't accept some particular weakness of yours or Mrs. Jones and her perfect life hovers over your shoulder with her disapproving look? The answer is the Gospel. The voice of pride says, 'Who you are and what you are doing aren't good enough'. But the Gospel says something completely different. Because of Jesus, the Father accepts as you are. He knows all about your weaknesses and your failures. He sees all the garbage. He sees all the sin that no one else does. And then He says, 'I know who you are and what you are doing and I love you.' He enjoys chatting with you with the toys strewn on the floor and the laundry baskets piled high. He's all for second place, if that's what you can do. And if getting a 73% on some exam is really your best, He rejoices and throws a party. Humility is understanding who you really are and what you've been called to do. It's knowing your strengths and being okay your weaknesses. Humility is a gift of God's Spirit. The problems come when we listen to pride instead of the Father. And translating that into Church Words, the problems come when we don't believe the Gospel as well as we might. But even that weakness doesn't stop the Father from loving us. So, what do we do? 'O Israel, hope in the Lord.' Jesus has come not just to forgive us our sins. He has also come to free us from them, including the sin of listening to pride. So, having made us acceptable to the Father by His death on the Cross, Jesus then sends His Holy Spirit to us. It's the Spirit's work to free us from the sins that enslave us so much. It's His job to make us new. And part of that is developing humility in us. It's up to the Spirit to get us to understand who we really are, to see the strengths that He has given to us and to accept the limitations that He has placed on us – and to do that in world that is not at all sympathetic to such things.
Now, it may be that someone is thinking that what this means is that we are to settle for less, that humility means not trying to do better, not striving to excel. Let's take a look at that. I am a good preacher. I understand the Bible well and explain it in a way that you can understand. Those statements are not rooted in pride. They are expressions of humility. When it comes to preaching, I understand who I am and what Jesus has called me to do. I understand my strengths and I'm okay with my weaknesses. Sunday after worship is no longer the lowest point of my week. The Spirit of Jesus has produced calmness in my soul. But this past week I bought a book on preaching. I bought this book because I had been thinking about how I could improve as a preacher. I did not buy the book because I was listening to pride. 'Who you are and what you are doing aren't good enough'. I was not trying to become what I am not. I know that the Father loves me – warts and all. There are no storms – not when it comes to preaching. But it is precisely because I know that the Father loves me that I want to fulfill the calling He has placed on my life. And that calling is to take good care of you. The heart of that calling is to bring the beauty and the power of the Gospel to bear on every little corner of your lives. And that's what preaching is all about. So, I bought a book on preaching. Maybe there are some thoughts in it that will help me fulfill my calling a little better. If I had purchased a book like that back in the day of storms and agitation, back when Sunday after worship was the low point of my week, it would have been rooted in pride – and it would have led to more storms and not calmness. But not now.
Eric Liddell was a runner. He competed in the 1924 Olympics and won the gold medal in the 400 meter race, setting a world record. That takes hard work and pushing yourself. Olympians do not settle for less. But Liddell was also a Christian. Listen to how he describes his motivation as a runner. 'I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.' Humility does not destroy the desire to become better – whether we are talking about preaching or running or whatever. It just changes the reason why.
So, what are we do? The answer is the same as it always is. Repent and believe the Gospel. We need to repent of pride, and that includes repenting of the attitude, 'Whatever I do, I'm supposed to do it better.' The first step is to examine your soul. Do you see calmness, the calmness of a contented infant nestled comfortably in his mother's arms? Pride is not the only cause of a stormy soul, but it is one possible cause. If this is your sin, repent of it. The Father is ready – and even eager – to forgive you. Jesus guarantees it. Then, having repented of sin, believe the Gospel. Believe the Gospel when it tells you that Jesus has made you acceptable to the Father, that whatever failures or weaknesses, whatever sins you've committed, He knows all about it and He still loves you. Believe the Gospel when it tells you that even if you never improve anything in your life – never improve anything – the Father still accepts you. And believe the Gospel when it tells you that the Spirit is in the process of changing you, of developing true humility in you so that you might become all that the Father intends for you to become. And the result of all of this? Fewer storms. Less severe storms. And in their place a growing sense of calmness of spirit so that, with more and more confidence and assurance, you find yourself saying what David said. 'But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.' And won't that make Jesus look good?
I know something about babies, weaned and un-weaned. I have memories of un-weaned babies – five of them – and how they sometimes acted. I remember Linda holding one or the other of them as they were rooting around for food. It was as if he or she were saying, 'I know there's food here. There was food last time I was here. Where's the food? Come on, I'm hungry! Where's the food!' And if Linda wasn't quite fast enough our very definitely un-weaned infant would let the world know about it in no uncertain terms. David's simile assumes that image with all of its agitation and points to its opposite. 'But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.' A child who no longer nurses at the breast knows that food will be found elsewhere. So, this child can be calm and quiet when in his mother's arms. The stormy commotion of former days is past.
After a long day of ministry Jesus and the Twelve got into a boat to sail to the opposite shore of the lake. And as often happened on that particular lake – well, listen. '... as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!”' For some people, life feels like a great storm. The wind buffets their little boat with the waters filling it up to the point that the are sure they will be completely overwhelmed by it all and utterly undone. 'Master, Master, we are perishing!' But David's life is not like that. His soul is calm. But, for far too many, it just sounds like David is mocking them. Enjoying a life of peace and calm seems completely impossible – but it's not. David presents himself as an example and an encouragement to the people of God. A life of peace and calm is possible for you. It is one of the blessings the Gospel offers. And David explains how you might enjoy a growing experience of this calmness. Let me encourage you to listen to what the Spirit has to say so that you might enjoy more of the Gospel.
First of all, there are some things that David does not do, some things that he avoids. Listen again. 'O Lord, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high.' What is David talking about here? He's using the language of pride, a heart that is lifted up or eyes that are raised. Pride. But understand what pride is. It is presenting yourself as someone you are not. You can do that before others by deeds and words that say, 'Hey! Look at me. Be impressed with me.' But you can also do that before yourself. It's just as easy to try to impress yourself with yourself – maybe even a little easier. And that, in turn, explains humility. This isn't thinking of yourself as worthless. Instead, it is thinking of yourself accurately. And so, David is saying something like this in our text. 'I understand who I am, how God has made me and molded me over the years. I understand my strengths and my weaknesses. I see myself accurately.' And that's why pride is the opposite of humility. Presenting yourself as someone you are not is not understanding yourself accurately.
One result of humility is appropriate expectations of yourself. And that also shows up in our Psalm. 'I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.' That's the ESV translation. Consider two others: 'Neither do I concern myself with great matters, Nor with things too profound for me.' Or there's this: 'I do not have great aspirations, or concern myself with things that are beyond me.' Do you see what's going on here? True humility says, 'This is how God has made me. This is who I am. This is what He has called me to do. So, doing that over that over there just isn't for me. It is, in fact, something that I am not able to do and so I should not even try to do it.' Or to say it using David's words, 'I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.'
But we have such a hard time living according to this kind of humility. I was talking to my father some time ago. I mentioned how I enjoyed golf and that one reason I enjoyed it was that I didn't keep score. And his reply went something like this. 'But how will you know if you're getting better.' That explains something of the inner workings of my life. It also illustrates a theme that many of us live by: 'Whatever I do, I'm supposed to do it better.' The lowest point of my week always used to be Sunday after worship. I was sure that, once again, I had failed at being a pastor. The sermon was terrible. I didn't do it 'better'. But all of that was based on pride. 'Whatever I do, I'm supposed to do it better.' But, humility says, 'That over there – whether that's being an accomplished golfer or even a certain kind of pastor – that's not for me. It doesn't fit with who I am and what God has called me to do. It's not for me.' 'I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.' As the Spirit has worked this more and more into my soul, there are fewer storms and more calmness, more peace.
This kind of humility is not something that is valued by many in our culture. Instead, many opt for that other theme, 'Whatever I do, I'm supposed to do it better.' And most of you feel the pressure to conform. So, on the job, the assumption is that this year you'll do better than you did last year. Whatever was lacking in your previous performance will be improved. It just will be. The same thing happens too often to students. A 93% average in your last course is good. But let's see if you can't do even better this semester. The same in sports. That was your personal best, but I know you can improve on that. After all, who is satisfied with second place. And homemakers are not excluded. You are supposed to be like Mrs. Jones whose house is always immaculate and whose life is oh so organized. Even the laundry always up to date. 'Whatever you do, you're supposed to do it better.' And the storm clouds gather over the lake. My great desire is that we all would be freed from that way of thinking and the slavery it brings; that we all would enjoy true humility. This is a realistic hope. Just look at David. He has not fallen into the trap that pride lays. He does not try to present himself to others – or even to himself – as someone that he is not. And as a result he can say, 'But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.' I want that for all of you.
So, we see what David avoids: the trap of pride. But he does more than avoid pride. In fact, it's what he does that enables him to avoid the trap. David does what he exhorts Israel to do. 'O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forevermore.' Jesus is our hope. He is the One who gives us calm souls. 'And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, “Where is your faith?” And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?”' Jesus gives calm souls. The miracle on the lake is simply a picture of the miracle He performs in people's souls. Jesus has come so that we can enjoy the calm that David talks about.
Now how does He do that? One key to all of this is the humility that I've mentioned. Remember, humility is understanding who your really are and what you've been called to do. It's knowing your strengths and being okay your weaknesses. Now, how is such humility possible when your boss tries to redefine who you are or your coach doesn't accept some particular weakness of yours or Mrs. Jones and her perfect life hovers over your shoulder with her disapproving look? The answer is the Gospel. The voice of pride says, 'Who you are and what you are doing aren't good enough'. But the Gospel says something completely different. Because of Jesus, the Father accepts as you are. He knows all about your weaknesses and your failures. He sees all the garbage. He sees all the sin that no one else does. And then He says, 'I know who you are and what you are doing and I love you.' He enjoys chatting with you with the toys strewn on the floor and the laundry baskets piled high. He's all for second place, if that's what you can do. And if getting a 73% on some exam is really your best, He rejoices and throws a party. Humility is understanding who you really are and what you've been called to do. It's knowing your strengths and being okay your weaknesses. Humility is a gift of God's Spirit. The problems come when we listen to pride instead of the Father. And translating that into Church Words, the problems come when we don't believe the Gospel as well as we might. But even that weakness doesn't stop the Father from loving us. So, what do we do? 'O Israel, hope in the Lord.' Jesus has come not just to forgive us our sins. He has also come to free us from them, including the sin of listening to pride. So, having made us acceptable to the Father by His death on the Cross, Jesus then sends His Holy Spirit to us. It's the Spirit's work to free us from the sins that enslave us so much. It's His job to make us new. And part of that is developing humility in us. It's up to the Spirit to get us to understand who we really are, to see the strengths that He has given to us and to accept the limitations that He has placed on us – and to do that in world that is not at all sympathetic to such things.
Now, it may be that someone is thinking that what this means is that we are to settle for less, that humility means not trying to do better, not striving to excel. Let's take a look at that. I am a good preacher. I understand the Bible well and explain it in a way that you can understand. Those statements are not rooted in pride. They are expressions of humility. When it comes to preaching, I understand who I am and what Jesus has called me to do. I understand my strengths and I'm okay with my weaknesses. Sunday after worship is no longer the lowest point of my week. The Spirit of Jesus has produced calmness in my soul. But this past week I bought a book on preaching. I bought this book because I had been thinking about how I could improve as a preacher. I did not buy the book because I was listening to pride. 'Who you are and what you are doing aren't good enough'. I was not trying to become what I am not. I know that the Father loves me – warts and all. There are no storms – not when it comes to preaching. But it is precisely because I know that the Father loves me that I want to fulfill the calling He has placed on my life. And that calling is to take good care of you. The heart of that calling is to bring the beauty and the power of the Gospel to bear on every little corner of your lives. And that's what preaching is all about. So, I bought a book on preaching. Maybe there are some thoughts in it that will help me fulfill my calling a little better. If I had purchased a book like that back in the day of storms and agitation, back when Sunday after worship was the low point of my week, it would have been rooted in pride – and it would have led to more storms and not calmness. But not now.
Eric Liddell was a runner. He competed in the 1924 Olympics and won the gold medal in the 400 meter race, setting a world record. That takes hard work and pushing yourself. Olympians do not settle for less. But Liddell was also a Christian. Listen to how he describes his motivation as a runner. 'I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.' Humility does not destroy the desire to become better – whether we are talking about preaching or running or whatever. It just changes the reason why.
So, what are we do? The answer is the same as it always is. Repent and believe the Gospel. We need to repent of pride, and that includes repenting of the attitude, 'Whatever I do, I'm supposed to do it better.' The first step is to examine your soul. Do you see calmness, the calmness of a contented infant nestled comfortably in his mother's arms? Pride is not the only cause of a stormy soul, but it is one possible cause. If this is your sin, repent of it. The Father is ready – and even eager – to forgive you. Jesus guarantees it. Then, having repented of sin, believe the Gospel. Believe the Gospel when it tells you that Jesus has made you acceptable to the Father, that whatever failures or weaknesses, whatever sins you've committed, He knows all about it and He still loves you. Believe the Gospel when it tells you that even if you never improve anything in your life – never improve anything – the Father still accepts you. And believe the Gospel when it tells you that the Spirit is in the process of changing you, of developing true humility in you so that you might become all that the Father intends for you to become. And the result of all of this? Fewer storms. Less severe storms. And in their place a growing sense of calmness of spirit so that, with more and more confidence and assurance, you find yourself saying what David said. 'But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.' And won't that make Jesus look good?
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