We're going to look at Psalm 131; it's the briefest of all the Psalms that we've looked at, but wow, I'm so thankful Psalm 131 is in the Bible. I would ask you this question: do you have a calm soul? As a mother or a father, as a husband or a wife, in your friendships, at your work, or your school, as a member of your church, as a citizen?
I'm deeply persuaded that with the rise of the Internet and social media, with its worldwide reach and its ability to constantly expose us to the disasters around the world, to political fights and divisions, to constant controversies of every kind, and to the failures of those we've trusted, we've been exposed to more cause for anxiety, worry, fear, and dread than we ever would have experienced without this powerful, intrusive media.
We all tend to feel the need to stay in touch more than we actually need to be in touch. We all feel like we need to know more about everything than we actually need to know. We're all tempted to jump into controversies that are actually not our own. We get drawn into being members of certain tribes who fight on behalf of our own. And the results are debilitating to our hearts and our souls.
In this way, Psalm 131, seems like a very modern Psalm. It does speak with clarity into this digital age in which we live. Let me read.
O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
O Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore.
Wow! Notice where this Psalm begins, "O LORD, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high." That's a picture of being proud. This Psalm is actually about humble living-knowing your place, minding your business, and not attempting to carry the world on your shoulders. "My heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high," meaning, I'm not proud, thinking that somehow I can carry more than I'm able to carry.
I'm impressed, as I'm with family and friends, how much we have conversations about things that have nothing to do with us, that are just cares that we're carrying because we expose ourselves to too much. We tell ourselves, "We're able to handle too much."
Notice what it says next, "I do not occupy myself with things too great and marvelous for me." This is about knowing your mental, emotional, and spiritual limits, which means humbly setting limits for ourselves.
I want to make an application of this Psalm. Some of us desperately need to take an Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, sabbatical. We need to give ourselves to quiet, calm, simple, mind your own business, living. That's a godly way to live because we know that it's not our knowledge and our control that's going to bring this world into order. There is One who's got that covered.
You see, it takes a calm soul to think well. It takes a calm soul to choose well. It takes a calm soul to speak well. It takes a calm soul to act well. It takes a calm soul to stay spiritually healthy and build healthy relationships. Are you willing to mind your own business and to have a calm and quiet soul?
Questions for Personal Reflection or Group Discussion
1. What kinds of disasters, fights, controversies, or failures have you been exposed to that have led directly to anxiety, worry, fear, and dread? What has been your digital medium of choice that has regularly pulled you in and ignited a deep sense of debilitation or spiritual angst in you? Where do you feel you have started to "carry the world on your shoulders" in a way that has legitimately affected your countenance, mood, and/or perspective on life? Where have you tried to carry more than you are able to carry?
2. In what ways have you set mental, emotional, and spiritual limits for yourself? If you haven't yet done so, write down what you think would be healthy limits for you in each of those areas, and invite someone close to you to keep you accountable for sticking with the limits you've written.
3. How can you be proactive about reminding yourself that your knowledge and control won't bring this world into order? In what ways can you intentionally give yourself to quiet, calm, simple, "mind your own business" living? Is it time for you to take a social media sabbatical? If so, what would that specifically look like? Who will keep you accountable to sticking with your sabbatical and the parameters you've decided to put in place?
4. In what areas do you need to ask the Lord to help you so you can intentionally think, choose, speak, and act well? How are you inviting God into your relationships in a way that fosters calm and builds health?
Conversation Prompts to Use with Children
For Younger Children:
• What helps you feel calm and quiet? What makes you upset or gets you frustrated?
• Do you think God wants us to live a life that is calm and trusting of his control? Why do you think it's so hard for us to trust in God's control all the time? How can we help each other to trust in God's control over the world? If we did, do you think we'd be less stressed out? Why?
For Older Children:
• What are a few things going on in the world right now that you've talked about with other people in the last week? What were those conversations like?
• Do you think our phones expose us to too much in the world? Are most of the things that grab our attention on our phones things that are directly related to us? Do they mostly have nothing to do with us? Why do you think we care about so much that has nothing to do with us?
• Why do you think "none of your business" is something that we should tell ourselves as we read, watch, and absorb content from our phones? How can that actually help us?
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