“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. But I have calmed and quietened myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content. Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and for evermore.” (Psalm 131)
Eugene Peterson called Psalm 131 “a short trip to a quiet place” (I think it was in his chapter on Humility in ‘A Long Obedience in the Same Direction’?). His translation of Psalm 131 in the Message certainly captures a spirit of humility. It’s a short psalm but it offers a clear alternative to the underlying values of our contemporary culture. We live in a culture that encourages pride: the first verse of this psalm encourages a life rooted in humility. We live in a culture that encourages constant discontent, a restless acquisitiveness: the second verse of this psalm invites us into a place and a state of contentment, of having ‘enough’. We live in a culture that encourages a ‘self-first’ egocentrism while the final verse of this psalm seeks rest in God. The psalm is not detached from reality; it is anchored in God and in hope in Him. Read and re-read this psalm. Consider the alternative lifestyle it offers. Then perhaps, with a little practice, we can move beyond “a short trip to a quiet place” and take up permanent residence there.