Ruth Haley Barton wrote in Invitation to Solitude and Silence: Experiencing God’s Transforming Presence: “I believe silence is the most challenging, the most needed and the least experienced spiritual discipline among evangelical Christians today. It is much easier to talk about it and read about it than to actually become quiet. . . . We are starved for intimacy, to see and feel and know God in the very cells of our being. We are starved for rest, to know God beyond what we can do for him.”
Our psalm for today speaks to this need and desire. The silence at its core is, as seen in the simile of the “weaned child with its mother,” the silence of peacefulness, rest, and complete trust (v. 2). Interestingly, David here has “calmed and quieted” himself, indicating a conscious, self-disciplined choice. But it is the Parent who is the foundation for his faith and thus the actual source of his contentment.
Why specifically a “weaned child”? Because the relationship is not based on need fulfillment, as with an infant. The peace and satisfaction flow from presence and intimacy—a child snuggling close for the sake of closeness and the relationship itself. No wonder this is a “song of ascents,” that is, a psalm composed to be sung during the pilgrimage to Jerusalem and designed to prepare the heart for worship.
How did the psalmist make this choice? By seeking humility and letting God be God (v. 1). It is the nature of human pride to think we can master our own destinies, build a tower to heaven, and discover all the secrets of the universe. We don’t like limits. But as we read yesterday, God alone governs creation. We must trust God to be God and put our hope in Him from now to eternity (v. 3).
Pray With Us
Moody’s undergraduate students are on summer break now. Today we’d like to invite you to uphold them in prayer—wherever they are—for a good rest, spiritual refreshment, and growth in commitment to God and His Word.
BY Brad Baurain
Dr. Bradley Baurain is Associate Professor and Program Head of TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) at Moody Bible Institute. Bradley has the unique privilege of holding a degree from four different universities (including Moody). He has just published his first book, On Waiting Well. Bradley taught in China, Vietnam, the United States, and Canada. Bradley and his wife, Julia, have four children and reside in Northwest Indiana.