“Peace Be Still”: Learning Psalm 131 by Heart - faithlafayette.org/psalm131
3 lessons to learn to facilitate a peaceful soul that can overflow with thankfulness
I. Understand the Root of a Noisy, Unthankful Soul – Pride
A. Exaltation of self over others – “proud” / “haughty” (cf. Deuteronomy 8:14; 17:20; Jeremiah 48:29; Ezekiel 31:10; Dan 5:20; 11:12; Hosea 13:6; Proverbs 30:13)
B. Seeking to do things only God can do – “great matters” / “things too difficult for me”
II. Realize What Is Necessary to Quiet a Noisy Soul – Intention Learned Effort
A. A recognition of when your soul is not “level” and “loud,” “noisy” requiring composing (“leveling”) and quieting (“silencing”)
B. A necessary intentional effort – “Surely/indeed I have composed”
“To gain composure is to go through a weaning process. Something that once meant everything to you comes to mean nothing. What is this composing, this quieting, this weaning? Notice that you are definitively different at the end of the process. You aren’t ‘sort of composed, sort of quiet, sort of weaned.’ You once were noisy, and now you’ve learned quiet. We always learn through a process, but in principle there are not gradations. You either have it or you don’t. You either know how to quiet yourself or you stay noisy. You’re either a nursing infant or a weaned child.” (David Powlison, “Peace Be Still”: Learning Psalm 131 by Heart)
III. Know the Only Cure for the Noisy Soul – Trust in the Lord from Now until Eternity
“Self, my heart is proud (I’m absorbed in myself), and my eyes are haughty (I look down on other people), and I chase after things too great and too difficult for me. So of course I’m noisy and restless inside, it comes naturally, like a hungry infant fussing on his mother’s lap, like a hungry infant, I’m restless with my demands and worries. I scatter my hopes onto anything and everybody all the time.” (David Powlison, “Peace Be Still”: Learning Psalm 131 by Heart)
Modern western society today is plagued by an illness.
We all have it from time to time..
It’s not COVID
It’s not monkey pox
It’s not a medical disease
But it is treated like one in the psychology field
The symptoms of this ailment are
- A heighten state of anxiety that seems like it never ends
- The mind goes from one thought to the next seemingly—out of control—just as the world seems to be out of control
- There is an impending sense of doom
- The mind cannot focus
- Sleep is elusive
Physiologically
- The heart races and pounds
- The stomach may become nauseated
- Bowels become loose
- Blood pressure increases
- Chest pain can occur
- The breath becomes short
- The person becomes lethargic and unable to function
Your saying, Brent, I know what this illness is—election cycles in the USA!
No, that is not it
But an election cycle may bring on this illness.
Also…
- Four years of Trump may bring it on
- Two years of Biden may bring it on
- A Pandemic may bring on this illness
- The doomed earth because of climate change may bring this on.
- Racial Social unrest may bring this on
In fact in our world, anything may bring this on.
Without trying to minimize true abusive hardship…anything in life can stimulate this illness including:
The “trauma” of children experiencing discipline at the hands of loving parents
The “trauma” of going through puberty
The “trauma” of going to school
The “trauma” of not being accepted by others
The “trauma” of disagreements in person or on social media
The “trauma” of failure in a team sport
To treat this illness in western society we have developed a therapeutic culture in which we
seek higher self-esteem
avoid triggers
set relationship boundaries
avoid toxic relationships
learn how to center ourself and love ourselves
practice yoga
And yet with the exponential increase in spending on therapeutic methodologies and coping mechanism, mental health concerns are continuing to skyrocket.
What is this illness which I am describing?
A noisy, anxious, clamoring soul
Perhaps you have had something like it
Our world might call it a panic attack.
In extreme forms it is immobilizing and debilitating
In lessor forms it is called anxiety and fear and robs our soul of peace.
It is the human soul that in that state is like a restless and inconsolable infant
A soul that is grasping for
- A sense of security instead of danger
- A sense of peace instead of distress
- A sense of ease instead of hardship
- A sense of order instead of chaos
- A sense of justice instead of injustice
…because around every corner in this world is potential trauma
What are we to do to quiet this noisy soul of ours and develop a thankful heart?
Please turn to Psalm 131 in on page 450 in the front section of the bible in the chair in front of you.
All year long we have been discussing Growing in Gospel Gratitude
Through the end of October we are in series—The Heart of Thanksgiving
After that we will turn our attention to our annual Stewardship emphasis.
The Heart of Thanksgiving series focuses on select Psalms that can help us cultivate a thankful heart.
Today we are studying how
Thanksgiving Arises from a Quieted Soul
The psalm we are study is a very short Psalm.
It is only three verses.
I have memorized this Psalm over the years because I have struggled with an anxious and fearful soul.
And from the outset I want to acknowledge the impact that an article by the late David Powlison has had on my thinking regarding this passage.
The article is entitled
“Peace Be Still”: Learning Psalm 131 by Heart
That article can be obtained freely from the publishers at the following shortcut link
www.faithlafayette.org/psalm131
My treatment of this passage is based upon David Powlison’s thoughtful development of Psalm 131 and I want to give him credit for that upfront.
I will cite him appropriately when I am quoting him directly.
Before we read Psalm 131, however, let me give just a bit of context to this Psalm.
If you notice the title says “A Song of Ascents”
Many scholars think that a song of ascent is a Psalm that Israel sang on the way to the various pilgrim feasts in Jerusalem
like the feast of Passover,
like the feast of Tabernacle
Thus, Psalm 131 was chosen by Israel as one of their top 10 lists, so to speak, for their nation to remember at strategic times
Also, the title says, A Psalm of David.
Israel chose this Psalm of David for a part of their strategic play list for a reminder
Remember, David was God’s chosen King over the nation of Israel
- His ascent to the thrown was fraught with peril and trouble.
- He had been near death many times running from the King he was to replace—King Saul
- He was also the individual who had the courage to face Goliath and rescue His people from enemy oppression at that time.
- He was also the person who threw the kingdom into turmoil because of his sin…
Now, let’s look at the surrounding context of this Psalm….the surrounding context is not unusual or unique but is helpful reminders about what the Psalms contain.
You are in Psalm 131, please turn back to Psalm 129
Psalm 129:1 states,
1 “Many times they have persecuted me from my youth up,”
Let Israel now say,
2 “Many times they have persecuted me from my youth up;
Yet they have not prevailed against me.
God people have a history of facing trouble from without
Turn to Psalm 130
1 Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord.
2 Lord, hear my voice!
Let Your ears be attentive
To the voice of my supplications.
3 If You, Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
4 But there is forgiveness with you
God’s people have had a history of facing trouble from within—their own failures
Turn to Psalm 132 verse 10
10 For the sake of David Your servant,
Do not turn away the face of Your anointed.
11 The Lord has sworn to David
A truth from which He will not turn back:
“Of the fruit of your body I will set upon your throne.
12 “If your sons will keep My covenant
And My testimony which I will teach them,
Their sons also shall sit upon your throne forever.”
In this passage, the Psalmist is appealing to God—remember your promises….because it doesn’t seem like they are coming to fulfillment
God’s people have had a history of not always understanding when and how God will fulfilling his promises.
So in a world where there are
- Enemies without and
- Personal Sin within
- Confusion over God’s promises….
Chaos SEEMS TO abound—how can chaos, then, not abound in my soul???!!!!
- Of course I am like a restless, inconsolable child
- Of course my soul is noisy
- Of course I have panic attacks!
In the midst of that….When Israel would gather nationally annually, Israel reminds herself at her strategic times of David’s Psalms….something King David learned.. That Israel also had to learn
- In his confrontation with Goliath…how could he have courage and not shake in his boots?
- In his turbulent rise to the throne of the King of Israel…how did he ever not go insane?
- In his guilty over his sin with Bathsheba how could he not be overwhelmed and commit suicide?
What Lessons did David learn…?!!
Are you ready?
Hear the Word of God from Psalm 131—three verses that you should commit to memory and keep in your heart.
A Song of Ascents, of David
1 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.
Here it is the picture of a quiet soul!
Apparently, David learned the secret
And he knows how to describe it vividly to all of us!
- · A child that is not restless but peace-filled
- · A child that sits quietly in her mother’s lap instead of fussing and crying
- · A child that is not frantically rooting around for it next meal
- · A child that is content and not loudly inconsolable
How much would our society pay for this kind of calmness of soul?
How much would you give for this?
I wonder if David went to therapy for this or yoga lessons….what do you think?
Verse
3 O Israel, hope in the Lord
From this time forth and forever.
Today we are speaking about how
Thanksgiving Rises from a Quieted Soul
3 lessons to learn to facilitate a peaceful soul that can overflow with thankfulness
The first lesson to learn to quiet the noisy soul is
I. Understand the root of a noisy, unthankful soul —pride
Having read that point—You may say, “Pastor Brent, you don’t have any clue as to what the root of my noisy soul is!
You are piling on by saying there is something within me causing this!”
It’s my job!
It’s my relationship with my spouse
It’s my prodigal children
It’s my ___________ –fill in the blank!
Remember this Psalm was a Psalm of Israel sung at strategic national seasons to remind them of something about what David learned.
Remember Israel put this Psalm on its national Spotify list so that God’s people would be reminded of the precise cause of the turmoil inside when turmoil is raging outside.
Listen to what David Learned
“Oh Lord my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty”
Whatever the condition of the quieted soul is, David says
- in this state,
- at this moment,
- I am not exalted in my mind and my eyes do not look down at others…
Let’s dig in to how this is so…. the first manifestation of pride that results in a noisy soul is
Exaltation of self over others—“proud” / “haughty” (cf. Deut 8:14; 17:20; Jer 48:29; Ezek 31:10; Dan 5:20; 11:12; Hos 13:6; Prov 30:13)
The two words “proud” and “haughty” are used frequently to describe an individual who exalts himself in his own eyes over others.
I would encourage you to check out those cross references a bit later.
You say, “I don’t get that Brent….!?”
How is me thinking I am better than others the cause of my noisy, anxious, panicky episodes?
Think about what you say to yourself in those panicky moments in relationship to people..
- What is my boss thinking of me right now? (feeling the anxiety)?
- What are my friends thinking of me right now? (feeling the noise)
- What is my pastor thinking of me right now? (feeling the panic)
- What is my spouse thinking of me right now? (feeling the anger)
And our mind then races……
- What words might I say to change their opinion of me?
- What action might I take in order to impress?
- How can I change the course of action of someone so that I can have them think a certain way about me…
In this scenario our primary goal is to attempt to mold someone else’s opinion of us to be favorable.
I’m on a constant quest to prove to you that I am not what you are thinking about me…
Further more…
Let’s rub that the other way…While I need you to see me as favorable and at the same time…in my attempt to exalt myself I need to see you as lower than me…..
- I spend energy focused on your faults
- I rehearse regularly in my mind how you failed me
- I creatively piece together conspiracies about your weaknesses and how I am better than you..are you feeling the noise?
Life becomes a constant competition to prove my self---how noisy, unsettling, fussing like a baby…
Most of you are familiar with the pop star Madonna…listen to what she said. I have used this quote before…
“I have an iron will, and all of my will has always been to conquer some horrible feeling of inadequacy.… I push past one spell of it and discover myself as a special human being and then I get to another stage and think I’m mediocre and uninteresting.… Again and again...
...My drive in life is from this horrible fear of being mediocre. And that’s always pushing me, pushing me. Because even though I’ve become Somebody, I still have to prove that I’m Somebody. My struggle has never ended and it probably never will.” – Madonna, “The Misfit”, Vanity Fair 1991
How tiring, how noisy is that constant performance treadmill….
There is the noisy soul…my struggle will never end….
A second manifestation of pride that results in a noisy soul …
Seeking to do things only God can do—“great matters” / “things too difficult for me”
The psalmist here uses a fascinating Hebrew word that is translated here in English as “things too difficult for me.”
The Hebrew word is used to describe God’s miraculous wonders—Like in Exodus 3:20 when the plagues are described miracles
Things too difficult for me then are things only God can do.
And we attempt to do that all the time.
You say Brent, I don’t attempt to do miracles…things only God does….
Well what about these things….
Think through the following questions that David Powlison poses and your responses…..
What happens when you attempt to control another person’s actions, or attitudes so that they are favorable to what you want?
- You become demanding
- You may become manipulative
- You become angry and resentful when you cannot get the behavior or attitude you desire
- How’s the quiet soul coming?
What happens when you attempt to ensure that you will not get sick and die?
- Addicted to diet/exercise
- Enslaved to health regimens
- Fearful of being around people with germs
- Become a doctored from the Google Medical Academy where you have spent countless hours searching for the cause of the sore toe.
What happens when you attempt to be popular, rich, and famous?
- Just one more dollar
- Just one more hour of work
- Just one more performance
Robin Williams was the famous comedian who died in 2014 from suicide. Unbeknownst to him he was suffering from a rare brain disordered that slowly took his cognitive, quick witted abilities.
And for a comedian that lived for entertainment…His the possibility of loosing his quick wit this was devasting to him. His wife in a biography t on Williams said, that Robin was a “stimulus junkie” “The line of work he was in bred anxiety and self-centered concerns. He would always say, ‘You’re only as good as your last performance,’”
Do you hear the noise of the soul?
C. S. Lewis in the preface to his Screw tape letters says…. “Pride: exhibits the ruthless, sleepless, unsmiling concentration upon self which is the mark of hell.
The first lesson to learn in order to quiet the noisy soul is
- Understand the root of a noisy, unthankful soul —pride
Secondly,
II. Realize What is Necessary to Quiet a Noisy Soul— Intention Learned Effort
Who is this a Psalm of?
David
Can you imagine David as a little shepherd boy and the first time he encountered a lion or a bear?
We can imagine his hands shaking as he reached into his pouch and pulled out a stone…His mind racing questioning his aim, wondering if the stone would be launched from his sling before the lion pounce on him…
And then…God gave him deliverance….
The next time was a bear….
The hands shook a little less.
The aim was better
The bear was felled further off
God gave him deliverance
The next time was Goliath…
- The initial fear may have arisen but then David says confidently…
- 1 Sam 17:37 And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”
- David had learned composure over time….
David wrote this Psalm and God preserved it for his people….so that God’s people would know that quieting the noisy soul…requires
A recognition of when your soul is not “level” and “loud” “noisy” requiring composing (“leveling”) and quieting (“silencing”)
Faith friends, I believe it was in my twenties when I learned to be a bit appropriately introspective and recognize what might be going on in my soul.
Before that, I can remember times being so angry
Or, I can remember times being so anxiety filled
Or, I can remember times being so immersed in self-pity.
I was not aware of what all of those emotions were indicating.
In one sense, from infancy to 25 years old, you could probably always say I had a noisy soul and did not recognize it.
I never had a truly quiet soul—unless circumstances were going my way…then I felt good.
After 25, I began learning that our emotions are windows into what disturbs our heart…. Our emotions indicate what takes our heart off center and off focus.
David Powlison says, “A pool of water in the stillness of dawn is highly sensitive to vibration. Watch the surface carefully. You detect the approach of the slightest breeze or a slight tremor in the ground. You locate the wriggling of a fish you cannot see or a minute water bug skating over the surface. In the same way, this quiet psalm can make you highly sensitive to “noise.” It is an instrument with which to detect gusts, temblors, thrashing, and insects in the soul.
If our hearts are the waters surface…are you sensitive to understanding what makes it noisy? agitated? Constantly swirling?
We as God’s people have to learn when the noise or the breeze begins to disturb the water of the heart……
We have to start asking ourselves questions like the following
- What am I feeling right now? (angry/anxiety/fear/self-pity)
- What are my actions and words conveying (angry, distress, bitterness)
- What response am I wanting to do now (justify, blame shift, run for protection, medicate, do yoga)
- What am I wanting most right now (peace, comfort, ease, pleasure, vindication)
Only when we begin to ask ourselves these types of questions or in counseling/mentoring have others ask can we assess that we have a noisy soul
- You can never quiet a noisy soul if you do not recognize you have one
Then quieting a noisy soul requires
A necessary intentional effort —“Surely/Indeed I have composed”
This Psalm is consistent with the Bible’s emphasis on progressive sanctification….growth…learning the Christian walk…
A quiet soul is not something that automatically happens it is a learned composure.
Now the composed soul may come and go for shorter or longer periods of time.
But at the end of the process, at the end of the composing, you are different…..
David Powlison states…
To gain composure is to go through a weaning process. Something that once meant everything to you comes to mean nothing. What is this composing, this quieting, this weaning? Notice that you are definitively different at the end of the process. You aren’t “sort of composed, sort of quiet, sort of weaned.” You once were noisy, and now you’ve learned quiet. We always learn through a process, but in principle there are not gradations. You either have it or you don’t. You either know how to quiet yourself or you stay noisy. You’re either a nursing infant or a weaned child. . -David Powlison, “’Peace Be Still’”: Learning Psalm 131 by Heart”
The first lesson to learn in order to quiet the noisy soul is
- Understand the root of a noisy, unthankful soul —pride
The second lesson to learn is What is Necessary to Quiet a Noisy Soul— Intention Learned Effort
The Third….lesson to learn…
III. Know the Only Cure for the Noisy Soul—Trust in the Lord from now until eternity
David Powlison makes a genius move in his article on Psalm 131
He crafts the anti-Psalm of Psalm 131.
What is the anti psalm you ask?
Reverse all the concepts in these three short verses and then you will gain even more insight into our noisy soul.
Self, my heart is proud (I’m absorbed in myself),
and my eyes are haughty (I look down on other people),
and I chase after things too great and too difficult for me.
So of course I’m noisy and restless inside, it comes naturally,
like a hungry infant fussing on his mother’s lap,
like a hungry infant, I’m restless with my demands and worries.
I scatter my hopes onto anything and everybody all the time. -David Powlison, “’Peace Be Still’”: Learning Psalm 131 by Heart”
Do you hear the crying, the fussing the inconsolability there?
The proud, self-focused individual, functioning as a practical atheist or spiritual orphan does not know there is a loving God who is in control!!
The Psalmist of Psalm 131 has repented of his proud
self-seeking,
self-securing,
self-exalting,
noise making soul, and has intentionally wrestled that soul down…to trust…
…and not trust in his circumstances but trust in the Lord….with a final exhortation that this must be the stance moment by moment from now until eternity….
Illustration: Lying awake at night…anxious over something…what has to happen….application
In the 1700’s Katarina von Schlegel penned the lyrics to “Be Still my soul” Today Kari Jobe added an additional refrain to the classic him that pictures the wrestling down of the quiet soul…
Be still, my soul, The Lord is on thy side
Bear patiently, the cross of grief or pain
Leave to thy God, to order and provide
In every change, He faithful will remain
Be still, my soul, thy best thy heavenly friend
Through thorny ways, leads to a joyful end
Be still, my soul, thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as He has the past
Thy hope, thy confidence, let nothing shake
All now mysterious shall be bright at last
Be still, my soul, the waves and wind still know
His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below
Be still, my soul, the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord
When disappointment, grief and fear are gone
Sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored
Be still, my soul, when change and tears are past
All safe and blessed, we shall meet at last
In You I rest, in You I found my hope
In You I trust, You never let me go
I place my life within Your hands alone
Be still, my soul
Be still, my soul
Be still, my soul
When my soul is like that I can give thanks in all things…
[Gospel application]—the nosiest problem
[Believer application]—the ongoing trials of life.
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