A weaned child, no longer desiring to nurse, but simply resting quietly in his mother’s arms. Can anyone draw a better picture of contentment? But how can we adults possibly gain such peace?

Well, the first verse lists some obvious pitfalls to avoid. Wearing ourselves out by working on impossible projects is not a pathway to contentment but to burnout. And what about those who spend all their time competing with or looking down on others? No matter how successful they may otherwise be, unless they can find someone else to despise, they’re never really happy.

But just avoiding pride or excessive ambition is no guarantee that we’ll have peace. For that, we need to take another look at that weaned child in verse 2: for the root of his contentment is not in the circumstances of his life – whether he is hungry or not – but simply in his relationship with his mother. In short, he is at peace because he rests in her love.

And that’s the reason David urges us to hope in the Lord: not because of the things God has done or will do for us, but simply because of Who He is. It is because God has loved us enough to give His Son to die for us that we can trust Him completely, confident that He will care for us no matter what our problems may be. May we compose and quiet our souls in this way, as we rest in our Father’s love today.

Psalm 131 (NASB)

A Song of Ascents, of David.
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.
2 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.
3 O Israel, hope in the LORD From this time forth and forever.