Psalms 131

Psalms 131:1

Psalm 131: Intellectual HumilityThere are some problems in life that defy explanation. Mysteries too deep to fathom. Strange circumstances that puzzle the keenest intellect. Who, for example, can say the last word on the problem of human suffering? Who can answer all the questions that surface in the area of unanswered prayer? Who can reconcile God’s sovereign election and man’s free will? 131:1 David didn’t profess to know all the answers. His heart was not lifted up like that of an insufferable know-it-all. His eyes were not raised too high, as if he were the finished intellectual egotist. He recognized his limitations and was not ashamed to say, “I don’t know.” He was content to know what he could know and leave the mysteries with God. Why occupy himself with things that were too great and too profound for him? No, he gave God credit for understanding things that he could never understand. 131:2 This attitude of trust in the wisdom, love, and power of God brought peace and quietness to his soul. He was like a weaned child who is quieted at his mother’s breasts. At the outset a child may be squalling, restless, impatient. But then feeding time comes and the baby is suddenly silent, relaxed in his mother’s arms. And so we can work ourselves into a dither of frustration, trying to understand things that are too high for us. But as soon as we leave the unanswerable questions with God, our souls are loosed from tension. 131:3 The psalmist recommends this attitude of confidence in the Lord to all of Israel. So did A. W. Tozer. He wrote: “Never forget that it is a privilege to wonder, to stand in delighted silence before the Supreme Mystery and whisper, ‘O Lord God, thou knowest.’ "