Readings: Ezra 9,10; Psalms 131; Luke 21
Scripture: Psalm 131
A song of ascents. Of David.
1 Lord, my heart is not proud;
my eyes are not haughty.
I don’t concern myself with matters too great
or too awesome for me to grasp.
2 Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself,
like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk.
Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me.
3 O Israel, put your hope in the Lord—
now and always.
Observation:
What do you do when the world feels like it’s caving in and life begins to overwhelm you?
Psalm 131 was written by David at a time when he was being falsely accused and criticized. Scholars believe that he wrote this psalm either while King Saul was hunting him down and falsely accusing him of trying to steal the throne from him, or while his wife Michal was criticizing him for dancing joyfully in response to the return of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem.
In any case, David was in a situation where it seemed like life was falling apart and when it would have been easy for him to be controlled by emotion, fear, and anxiety. Yet, this is not how David responds.
When the world felt like it was caving in, David:
- Renounced his pride.
“Lord, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty.” (Psalm 131:1a)
When life begins to feel overwhelming, it’s often because our expectations of how life should have gone or how a situation should have played out were not met. We forget that God is in control, that He’s working all things out for good, and before we know it, we begin to subconsciously believe that we know better than God. The first thing David does positions him to respond to his situation well because he renounces His pride. In doing so, he places himself under the Lordship of God, reminds himself that He is not in control, and releases himself from the dire mistake of trying to fix the problem himself.
- Rejected the theoretical.
“I don’t concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp.” (Psalm 131:1b)
When life feels out of control, our mind naturally begins to spiral into the theoretical. We think of every wrong turn, dream about the worst possible outcomes, and waste our sanity worrying about situations that we won’t even face. Rather than let his mind control him, he controls his mind. Rather than waste his energy worrying about the “what ifs,” he chooses to remain rooted in reality––wisely navigating the facts and rejecting the unconfirmed.
- Regulated his emotions.
“Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk. Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me.” (Psalm 131:2)
David disciplined himself to remain calm. His sanity didn’t depend on situations, outcomes, or other people; as he notes, “I have calmed and quieted myself.” He took ownership and agency over his sanity. Rather than outsource it, he trained himself to control his stress, quiet his thoughts, and calm his mind––for calmness begins with a choice.
- Reminded himself of the truth.
“O Israel, put your hope in the Lord— now and always.” (Psalm 131:3)
David didn’t listen to more messages or download more podcasts for encouragement; David preached to himself. He spoke the truth of God over himself and those around him, and he engaged his will to find peace in his storm.
Application:
When the world feels like it’s caving in and life begins to feel overwhelming, it’s easy to give in to your environment and spiral out of control. I’ve been there many times. But you were not created to be controlled by your circumstances. As David reminds us, God has given us the ability to engage our will, the authority to take control of our minds, and the agency to lead ourselves under the lordship, power, and protection of God.
When your world feels like it’s caving in:
- Renounce your pride.
“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.” (1 Peter 5:6 NKJV)
You are not God, you are not in control, and you don’t have the ability to figure everything out no matter how hard you try. So rejoice, because it’s God’s hands. So fully surrender the situation, and more importantly, yourself, into the hands of God. The more you try to control it, the further into chaos it will go. God is in control––so trust Him knowing that He loves you, He is far more able than you, and He will be faithful to His promise to turn everything around for good.
- Reject the theoretical.
“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7 NIV)
It’s true that anything could happen––but it’s also true that only one thing will happen. So rather than try to worry about the infinite amount of possible outcomes, save your energy to deal with the only one that will happen. For if you strategize over every single possible situation, you’ll end up with a lot of wasted work to throw away.
- Regulate your emotions.
“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV)
God specifically instructs us not to let our thoughts control us; He calls us to control our thoughts. And how do we do that? By reminding ourselves that God is bigger than any of our problems. It’s true that our problems may be bigger than ourselves, but they are never bigger than Christ. So stop trying to make your problems obey you, and start making your problems obey Christ.
- Remind yourself of the truth.
“Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:5-6 NKJV)
Remind yourself of the truth because Jesus is the Truth. And when you know the Truth, the Truth will set you free. Speak the name of Jesus over your problems, invite Him into every situation, and you will see Him show up––for He loves you far too much to leave you in danger.
Prayer:
Father God,
Thank You that You love me, that You are for me, and that You are protecting me. When my world feels like it’s falling apart, remind me of Your love, that I am in control, and that You are completely in control. I trust in You with my whole heart, and I know that no matter what happens, You will always work everything out for good. So I surrender all to You and I give You control. Have Your way in my world and in my life. I love You, Lord. Thank You for loving me.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
