Psalm 131:1-3 “O Lord, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forevermore.”

A child that is not weaned cries and squalls and grasps, demanding to be fed when in its mother’s arms. It has one focus, and that is on itself, its needs. It is self-centered and its own needs drive it.

It has actually not learned that its mother understands its needs and is there to meet them because she loves her child. It has not learned to trust and to rest.

A weaned child can rest in its mother’s arms, undemanding, simply basking in the comfort of being held by its mother. It has learned that its needs are known and amply supplied out of its mother’s love. The weaned child has learned that it doesn’t need to whine and cry to have its needs met. It has come to some degree of understanding that its mother actually knows what it needs more that it does.

King David writes this Psalm to be sung by pilgrims on their way up to Jerusalem for worship. It states that Israel can hope in the Lord both now and forever. Worship is not clamoring for blessing. It is resting in understanding that God loves us. We learn by following the Lord Jesus that He really does know us, understands us full and knows what it will take to cause us to grow and flourish. There is a rest that belongs to the children of God. It is honest, but not demanding. We make our requests to God in gratitude that reminds us He has never and will never forsake us. We come to learn, like the weaned child, that we are kept and safe, for the Eternal God is our refuge, and underneath, holding us securely, are the Everlasting Arms.

Our hope is not grounded in our circumstances, not in the opinions of others, not even in our assessment of ourselves; certainly not is what we see, think or feel. Our security, that hope that is infinitely more solid that mere wistful thinking, is God, Himself: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Truth is, a baby never needs to know how to instruct its mother on how to care for it. It doesn’t need to know how to tell its mother what it needs. The mother loves to hear the requests of her children because it is integral to their growing in relationship and intimacy, but she already knows. She wants her children to know that can ask and she will do what is best, in the best way, at the right time.

How much more can we rest in knowing that our Creator, our Redeemer, our Sanctifier know us infinitely more than we can know ourselves and loves us, has a plan for us and will provide and care for us. There IS a sabbath rest that remains for the people of God, for we are not in charge, we didn’t rescue ourselves and are incapable of transforming any aspect of who we are. Jesus Christ has come to live out in us, by the Holy Spirit’s Presence in us, His own life. We really can trust Him.