I have calmed and quieted my soul like a weaned child with its mother; my soul is like a weaned child. (Psalm 131:2)
This is one of my favorite word pictures in the Bible. A nursing child will sit on his mother’s lap and literally pull off his mom’s clothing trying to get her milk; whereas a weaned child is content to sit on his mom’s lap, just enjoying the security that his mom brings.
How are we with God? Are we always begging for something – food, healing, money, job – or can we simply be content in God’s presence, realizing that his presence is enough?
When I was in high school, I was extremely discontent. I remember meditating on Paul’s words, “for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself” (Phil 4:11). Paul did not write this from a place of abundance, but rather from a place of extreme depravity. He wrote this from a pit in a Roman jail – he had nothing. He was dependent upon his friends to bring him food. He was disconnected from all the churches that he had established and missed them terribly.
Paul is an example of “a weaned child.” His circumstances were horrible, yet he was content because he had the most important thing – God’s presence. God was with him. God used the Philippian church to care for him. He continues, “I know how to make do with little, and I know how to make do with a lot. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content — whether well fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need. I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me” (Phil 4:12, 13).
I still struggle with contentment. However, now I am quicker to identify discontentment, and quicker to talk to God about it. I strive to sit in God’s lap, as a weaned child, content with God’s care for me. How about you?