Psalm 131
My heart is not proud, O LORD,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.
But I have stilled and quieted my soul;
like a weaned child with its mother,
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
O Israel, put your hope in the LORD
both now and forevermore.
This is my current memory work. I've been working on this passage for a while, as I'm having a bit more difficulty concentrating at the moment than I was a few weeks ago. I'm also reading "Faith on Trial: Studies in Psalm 73" by Martyn Lloyd-Jones.
And it really struck me about how I so often complain in my heart about the way things are going for me. I was pretty sick for two years (turns out it was undiagnosed allergies), always tired, stressed beyond belief from work, and single whilst a lot of my friends (Christian and non-Christian) are beginning relationships. It's all been hard for me.
The thing is, I so often whinge to myself about these facts. It's not fair. Why is all this happening to ME. I don't UNDERSTAND.
The thing is, I'm not always called to understand. Often we will, later down the track, but often we won't. Either way doesn't help us now. We are not called to understand everything. We are called to be obedient. We are called to do what God has asked us even though it would be so much easier to do things in a manner that doesn't reflect Christ.
God says in Isaiah, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8-9) God's ways are not always understandable for us. His purposes are not always clear. But we know that "All things work together for the good of those who love Him" (Romans 8:28a) even the things that we do not like or understand.
It remains for me to still and quiet my soul, and to trust more completely in the LORD.
