'like a child in the arms of his mother'

At the moment I am following a pattern which will take me through all the Psalms by reading 5 Psalms each day. One of the Psalms for today was Psalm 131. This is a little gem from the Psalmist.

The German scholar Artur Weiser in his famous commentary on the Psalms writes this:

“this Psalm of Trust in God, which is unfortunately too little known, is a wonderfully tender and intimate little song. It is the outpouring of a mature faith and deserves to be classed with the most beautiful Psalms of the Psalter. The delicate tones of humble trust sound like the peaceful chime of bells at eventide in a quiet valley which the last rays of the setting sun fill with their soft light.”

The second half of his comment might be a little too flowery for my taste, but this Psalm certainly has something to say to us.

To put it very briefly –

The Psalmist begins by expressing his humility. He is not the fount of all knowledge and there is much which is beyond his understanding.

He then describes his trust in God in terms of a picture of a weaned child sitting comfortably and at peace in the embrace of his mother. The child is not demanding food or anything else and through the intimate mother/child contact has a sense of well-being and security.

The Psalmist finally encourages others to put their trust in the Lord.

Thoughtful words in a time of such uncertainty in our world. Would that we could all quieten ourselves and rest in God like a child in a mother's embrace.