Monday, March 2, 2009

A Weaned Soul


“Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child.” (Psalm 131:2)


         For the spiritually healthy child of God, life is a series of “weanings.” It begins with very basic things, just as in the natural realm. The word in its primary meaning refers to that time in a baby’s life when he or she is no longer breast-fed. In the Old Testament, it was such a momentous occasion that a feast was called for (Genesis 21:8).


         You will find this analogy in other places, when the Bible is speaking of growth in Bible knowledge (Isa. 28:9; Heb. 5:13); but in this verse, it seems to refer to something more personal: our soul’s relationship to earthly attachments and the release from their retarding hold on our Spiritual lives. Going back to the illustration of natural weaning, a baby is not weaned because there is something wrong with the milk, it is just that he or she is ready for something more substantial at this stage of their development. The milk has not changed; they have changed. Not only that, it is the beginning of a realization that life will not always depend upon the mother—the beginning of independence, so to speak.


         Notice that spiritual weaning brings a quietness of soul to the believer. That frantic looking for the next feeding is replaced by calm assurance that nourishment is always within reach, and fellowship is a constant possibility. We have only to pick up and savor the Words of God and acknowledge His abiding Presence, to assuage any spiritual hunger pangs that may arise. With this assurance, you and I are able to let go—literally or emotionally—to any person, place, or thing that we would otherwise cling to for spiritual nourishment and emotional stability. Each time we allow Him to take the place of what seemed so all-important to us, we become a little more independent of this world…and more dependent on Jesus Christ. And that’s a good thing.


         I wonder; how weaned is my own soul today…and yours? 



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