Contentment
(NIV) Psalm 131
A song of ascents. Of David.
1 My heart is not proud, LORD,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted myself,
I am like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child I am content.
3 Israel, put your hope in the LORD
both now and forevermore.
Do you know what it means to be content? The dictionary definition is to be pleased, happy, or satisfied. In this short psalm, David not only declares his contentment, but acknowledges being content is a learned behavior. And David says he learned contentment by not giving in to pride, and by calming himself.
David’s youth spent as a shepherd caring for his father’s sheep provided a great backdrop for the person David was to become. He learned that when the sheep became agitated, they needed to be quieted, and he learned the way to help them was to sing and play soothing songs on his harp.
In this passage, David compares himself to a weaned child. We understand that the process of weaning a child is not easy, but it is necessary. Once the process is completed, the child wants to be with his mother not because of what she can give him, but because of who she is. David had learned to desire God, not for what He had given David, but for Who He was. He finishes by counseling Israel to put her hope in God.
Paul speaks of contentment in his letter to the Philippians, 4:11-13, when he says he has learned to be content in all things. Again, Paul says such contentment is a learned behavior.
Consider how we have learned to quiet the fears and concerns in our lives. Is it something physical such as gardening or cooking, or is it spending time in prayer and meditation? Whatever our situation, may we know, believe, and understand that God is our source of contentment, and our very reason for hoping. May we approach Him early and often.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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