“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. Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child rests against his mother, my soul is like a weaned child within me. O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and forever.” Psalms 131: 1-3
David has been described as “The Sweet Psalmist of Israel.” His songs flowed from the soul of a man who was described by God as, “a man after My own heart.” Let that sink in for a moment. God knew David warts and all, yet God could see at the very heart of this man was a moral compass that drew him back into His Presence.
David discovered that the pride and haughtiness of his own heart was a hindrance to his intimacy with God. Believing in his own infallibility fed his ego, but starved his soul. Racing ahead of God led David to breathe his own ether, and dulled his senses, causing him to listen to bad counsel and to make poor choices. This never ended well for David on the battlefield or the home front.
Simply put, the prayerless are prideful. The world honors the loud man with the plan, not the quiet man on his knees. The haughty man beats his chest declaring, to one and all, he has all the answers. The humble man knows his limitations and relies on God for the answers. The haughty man is weak. The praying man is meek. Never confuse meekness with weakness. Jesus didn’t. Paul didn’t. Neither should you.
Perhaps the following Scripture is the best preamble for answered prayer. Those who have all the answers see no need to pray. At best they postpone it until they run out of options. At worst, they mock those who pray. Don’t be like those who treat prayer as the last resort. Embrace prayer as your first choice.
“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.
David was not a poet mindlessly and serenely strumming his harp in the quiet solitude of a mountain retreat. He was more like a man composing poetry while wrestling with alligators. Sometimes his Psalms read like a toxic “Whine List.” David was not immune from despair, discouragement or defeat. He had enemies in high and low places, but like you and me, David was his own worst enemy. He broke God’s heart more than once.
NOTE TO SELF: When you break God’s heart, be sure to break it for the right reason.
“Two things break the heart of God. Rebellion and repentance.”
Don Miller, 1922-2015
When David came to the end of himself, he turned his back on his sin and turned his face to God. David discovered true manhood was authentic child-likeness. Anyone who has ever seen a restless child calmed by a mother’s milk is aware of what David was describing. To a child, their mother’s breasts are a source of provision, and her arms are a place of protection. When children are hungry they know on whom to call. When they are afraid they race, bawling, crawling or running to their mother’s arms. Follow their lead. Prayer is not about eloquence. It is all about dependence.
“I have composed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child rests against his mother, my soul is like a weaned child within me.”
As a Shepherd David was called many times to battle against overwhelming odds in fights against evil men and wild beasts. As the anointed King he led outlaws and disenfranchised people to wage war against powerful, relentless, and established enemies. Victory was not found in the might of his sword, but in the arms of God.
David was an anointed man before he was an appointed man. From years of solitude in the hills surrounding Bethlehem, David discovered his true source of power, personal intimacy with God. In Scripture, when David, “Inquired of the LORD,” he experienced victory. When he didn’t seek God’s counsel, he failed miserably. Learn the lesson. This only happens…EVERY TIME.
Psalms 131 describes David’s level of intimacy with God, as child-like trust. He rested in the knowledge that he didn’t have all the answers. He took the questions to the One who did. Intimacy with God soothed his soul and calmed his heart. It will do the same for you. There is no greater relief in the world than the discovery that God is God and you are not. Accept no substitutes.
Urgency robs your soul of intimacy with The Father. Thirty years ago I discovered a little booklet entitled, “The Tyranny of the Urgent.” It was a call for me to discover the difference between what was important and what was urgent in life. Fear of the urgent makes my heart race. Praying for the important calms my soul.
Those who discern the difference between these two choices find themselves at peace in The Presence of God. Those who don’t become like Mr. Castanza, on the old Jerry Seinfeld TV show. He was always capping the the volcano of his boiling rage and shouting out, “Serenity Now!” It was painful to watch, and even more painful to live.
“…Hope in the LORD from this time forth and forever.”
In Scripture hope and wait are interchangeable truths. There is simply no hope of rest for the people of God who refuse to wait upon the LORD. When you don’t make time to wait on God you experience the dire consequences of“WAIT LOSS!” It will cost you more than you want to pay. When you pray, wait in His Presence long enough to find R.E.S.T. for you soul. When faced with the choice between the URGENT and IMPORTANT, Release Every Single Thing to God in prayer. Even a restless child won’t stay up all night when they are provided for and protected in the arms of a loving parent. R.E.S.T! God stays up all night.
TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!