Psalm 131: An unfinished journey with a quiet soul



1 Lord, my heart is not haughty,
Nor my eyes lofty.
Neither do I concern myself with great matters,
Nor with things too profound for me.

2 Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul,
Like a weaned child with his mother;
Like a weaned child is my soul within me.

3 O Israel, hope in the Lord
From this time forth and forever.






Everyone loves a short psalm!  In the short psalm league table, this is not the shortest.  That accolade belongs to Psalm 117 (just 2 verses!)  Psalms 133 and 134 also give it a run for it's money, but this one is certainly up there!

I guess there are times on a long pilgrimage when you only have breath for a few words - this one would work!

At first sight, verse 1 might look like a prideful boast.  There ARE psalms that give off an "I'm not like those people" vibe.  But I don't think that's the tone.

Going on pilgrimage to Jerusalem will have had some of the benefits I have gained from going on sabbatical - and both are part of the central Jewish tradition of Sabbath - intentionally leaving behind the anxieties and stresses and strains of working life to rest and reconnect to God and community.  Everyone walking that path to Jerusalem and back will have left stuff behind.

I think this is a moment of self-reflection - this is noticing the effect of pilgrimage/sabbath - noticing that you are changed by it.  Suddenly I find I am not haughty, I am re-earthed - I'm less obsessed with world events and political machinations that I cannot change.  All of that stuff makes me needy and anxious for more, like a demanding child.

I feel "weaned" off it!  And "weaned" by deliberate choice - I have chosen to calm and quiet my soul.

This, I think, is the heart of spirituality - knowing how to calm and quiet your soul.  When we can do this - hope comes naturally.

Psalm 131 reminds us that faith isn’t always about grasping for more insight or control. Sometimes it’s about releasing the need to know and leaning into God’s presence with the trust of a child who has learned to rest without demanding. In the quiet, hope has space to breathe.  And yet, this psalm doesn’t signal the end of the journey — only a pause in its rhythm. Quietness of soul is not a final destination but a travelling companion. On an unfinished journey, there will still be hills to climb, surprises to navigate, and moments of weariness. But learning to carry a quiet soul allows hope to keep pace with us, mile after mile, until the road’s end.

Prayer:

God who calms and quiets,
teach us the holy art of letting go.
Wean us from our anxious striving,
and root us in the peace of Your presence.
May hope rise in us like morning light.
Amen.

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