Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor my eyes lofty
Neither do I concern myself with great matters,
Nor with things too profound for me.
- Psalm 131:1
Too many times I find myself looking for a magnificent revelation that will blow people away. If I am truly honest with myself, I find that in my humanness I want to be remembered, quoted and put on a pedestal for what I know, sing, write, say and do. I want to be profound, remarkable and impressive. However, in my spirit, I long to live my life totally submitted to the Spirit of God and reflect who He is in me to the world around me.
This struggle between soul and spirit can be overwhelming at times. My fallen nature is strengthened when I strive to make my own way and impress people. The spirit part of me thrives when I purpose to connect to God, the All Knowing One, and learn from His Holy Spirit. However, when presented with the multitude of best selling Christian authors, televangelists, conference speakers, etc., the standard of successful Christianity becomes confusing when it is delivered in such a profound manner. Do I have to be profound to be of value in this Kingdom? Shouldn't my ultimate goal be to please God?
In our society we are taught from a very young age how to jump through hoops to please people. Our parents and teachers along the way have taught us to perform for acceptance. Grades determined how good we were. Trophies and awards made us special. What you wore gave you your place in the social network at school. We were encouraged to be self-centered and to please people. As adults, we struggle with this man pleasing and self-centered issue that has been woven into our very being. We become too concerned with the opinions of man rather than the opinion of our Creator. Eventually, this behavior will cause our spiritual death if we entertain it for too long (see Proverbs 29:25).
God is looking for people who will lay everything down: knowledge, agendas, striving, people, possessions, etc. You get the idea. He wants us to stop wasting our time and energy on pleasing people and change our focus to pleasing Him. What is He looking for? He is looking for pure hearts who are determined to know Him in the fullness of His glory. It is the heart that is free from haughtiness and loftiness that God will use. It is the heart that diligently seeks Him that pleases God.
King David had many trials and tribulations in his life. He had kingdom resources at his disposal - the best teachers, treasures, prophets, and more - yet he chose to stay humble before the Lord. He learned to draw from the Lord's presence while keeping his soul in check. In Psalm 131's short three verses, David gives us insight on how to deal with our soul's desires and to place our hope in the Lord alone:
Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor my eyes lofty
Neither do I concern myself with great matters,
Nor with things too profound for me.
Surely, I have calmed and quieted my soul,
Like a weaned child with his mother
Like a weaned child is my soul within me.
O Israel, hope in the Lord
From this time forth and forever.
Psalm 131:1-3 (NKJV)
Quieting and calming our soul takes discipline. Think about a baby who is being weaned from his mother. This process usually is not an easy one. This child will learn to drink for himself and then eventually eat solid food, first with assistance then on his own. No longer is mom the one who supplies every bit of nutrition for him. Mom becomes a source of love, guidance and acceptance now. This child can rest comfortably and peacefully in his mother's arms and enjoy her presence. In this place of embrace, he gains acceptance, love and security. In return, the mother takes great joy in pouring out love to her young one and teaching him from this place of contentment.
The Lord longs for us to come to Him with a quieted soul. He wants to fellowship with us and not just be our provider. He longs for us to enjoy His presence and place our hope in Him all of our days. It is the simplicity of drawing from His presence that revelation is born. It's not from studying and studying for hours to find something that no one else has ever seen. Successful Christianity is when we are consumed with knowing our God and pursuing a relationship with Him. Seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness is what we are called to do. The rest of our life falls into place from our relationship with him.
If you can identify with this struggle, I encourage you to seek the Lord on this matter. Here is my prayer to the Lord, use it if you like, but pray your heart, not mine:
Lord, forgive me for seeking acceptance from man. In You, Lord, I am satisfied. In You I find acceptance. As Your vessel, open my mouth to speak forth the message You desire to be released through my life. Let me not add or take away from Your Word. I want to rest upon You and see You as my love and provider. Awaken my heart to this understanding. Let my hope be in You and You alone. Let my soul be calmed and quited within me. In Jesus' Name I pray, amen.
Neither do I concern myself with great matters,
Nor with things too profound for me.
- Psalm 131:1
Too many times I find myself looking for a magnificent revelation that will blow people away. If I am truly honest with myself, I find that in my humanness I want to be remembered, quoted and put on a pedestal for what I know, sing, write, say and do. I want to be profound, remarkable and impressive. However, in my spirit, I long to live my life totally submitted to the Spirit of God and reflect who He is in me to the world around me.
This struggle between soul and spirit can be overwhelming at times. My fallen nature is strengthened when I strive to make my own way and impress people. The spirit part of me thrives when I purpose to connect to God, the All Knowing One, and learn from His Holy Spirit. However, when presented with the multitude of best selling Christian authors, televangelists, conference speakers, etc., the standard of successful Christianity becomes confusing when it is delivered in such a profound manner. Do I have to be profound to be of value in this Kingdom? Shouldn't my ultimate goal be to please God?
In our society we are taught from a very young age how to jump through hoops to please people. Our parents and teachers along the way have taught us to perform for acceptance. Grades determined how good we were. Trophies and awards made us special. What you wore gave you your place in the social network at school. We were encouraged to be self-centered and to please people. As adults, we struggle with this man pleasing and self-centered issue that has been woven into our very being. We become too concerned with the opinions of man rather than the opinion of our Creator. Eventually, this behavior will cause our spiritual death if we entertain it for too long (see Proverbs 29:25).
God is looking for people who will lay everything down: knowledge, agendas, striving, people, possessions, etc. You get the idea. He wants us to stop wasting our time and energy on pleasing people and change our focus to pleasing Him. What is He looking for? He is looking for pure hearts who are determined to know Him in the fullness of His glory. It is the heart that is free from haughtiness and loftiness that God will use. It is the heart that diligently seeks Him that pleases God.
King David had many trials and tribulations in his life. He had kingdom resources at his disposal - the best teachers, treasures, prophets, and more - yet he chose to stay humble before the Lord. He learned to draw from the Lord's presence while keeping his soul in check. In Psalm 131's short three verses, David gives us insight on how to deal with our soul's desires and to place our hope in the Lord alone:
Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor my eyes lofty
Neither do I concern myself with great matters,
Nor with things too profound for me.
Surely, I have calmed and quieted my soul,
Like a weaned child with his mother
Like a weaned child is my soul within me.
O Israel, hope in the Lord
From this time forth and forever.
Psalm 131:1-3 (NKJV)
Quieting and calming our soul takes discipline. Think about a baby who is being weaned from his mother. This process usually is not an easy one. This child will learn to drink for himself and then eventually eat solid food, first with assistance then on his own. No longer is mom the one who supplies every bit of nutrition for him. Mom becomes a source of love, guidance and acceptance now. This child can rest comfortably and peacefully in his mother's arms and enjoy her presence. In this place of embrace, he gains acceptance, love and security. In return, the mother takes great joy in pouring out love to her young one and teaching him from this place of contentment.
The Lord longs for us to come to Him with a quieted soul. He wants to fellowship with us and not just be our provider. He longs for us to enjoy His presence and place our hope in Him all of our days. It is the simplicity of drawing from His presence that revelation is born. It's not from studying and studying for hours to find something that no one else has ever seen. Successful Christianity is when we are consumed with knowing our God and pursuing a relationship with Him. Seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness is what we are called to do. The rest of our life falls into place from our relationship with him.
If you can identify with this struggle, I encourage you to seek the Lord on this matter. Here is my prayer to the Lord, use it if you like, but pray your heart, not mine:
Lord, forgive me for seeking acceptance from man. In You, Lord, I am satisfied. In You I find acceptance. As Your vessel, open my mouth to speak forth the message You desire to be released through my life. Let me not add or take away from Your Word. I want to rest upon You and see You as my love and provider. Awaken my heart to this understanding. Let my hope be in You and You alone. Let my soul be calmed and quited within me. In Jesus' Name I pray, amen.
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