O LORD, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty;
Nor do I involve myself in great matters,
Or in things too difficult for me.
Surely I have composed and quieted my soul;
Like a weaned child rests against his mother,
My soul is like a weaned child within me.
O Israel, hope in the LORD
From this time forth and forever.
—Psalm 131:1-3 NASB1995

The cobblestone street drifted toward me as I braced for the fall. The hot stone kissed my hands before I rolled onto my side like a lopsided pumpkin. Lying there, I saw a fuzzy version of my husband. He grabbed my hand and slowly pulled me to my feet.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yes, I think so.” I stammered. In fact, besides extreme embarrassment, the lone injury was a minor scrape on my wrist. The shopping bag that hung heavy on my arm was still there, and I could walk—no rolled ankle or broken bones. Thank God!

A few weeks later, I found myself calling 911 because my husband was having stroke-like symptoms. My heart raced, and my mind thought of all the possible outcomes, but once again, God kept me from stumbling into the darkest “what-ifs.” Yes, my husband was ill. Yes, he would spend time in the hospital. Yes, there was a chance he would not come home, or at least not come home the same man. Yet God cushioned our fall.

Psalm 131 declares that God is like a mother who holds her child close when they are sad, injured, or afraid. God can be trusted and is present in our pain. Furthermore, God is not surprised by tragedy, evil, or illness, and He is fully prepared to intervene in our suffering. God is always good and present, grabbing our hands and gently pulling us to our feet when we find ourselves sprawled on the pavement.

David begins this psalm by declaring, “O LORD, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty; Nor do I involve myself in great matters, Or things too difficult for me”  (Psalm 131:1 NASB1995). This means that David is not challenging God to explain Himself when bad things happen. He prays. He rests. He trusts. He loves. For you and me, we can do all of those things and more. We share the Gospel and believe God’s plan is for the eternal good of His people—those who choose to receive the gift of salvation, the forgiveness of sins, bought by the blood of Jesus, proven by His resurrection.

This is what Paul meant when he wrote in 2 Corinthians 5, “We walk by faith, not by sight”  (vs. 7). Paul was resigned to God’s will, whether he lived or died, whether he had much or little, whether he was free or imprisoned, he believed God’s promises and always looked ahead to the prize: “to be at home with the Lord”  (vs. 8).

In short, only God knows (I don’t) why I didn’t hurt myself when I fell and why Marty had to go through a rough season full of health challenges. But I can compose myself, quiet my soul, and rest against the chest of the Most High God. I can choose to walk by faith and not by sight because I know God’s character. Like David, I will pray, “Hope in the Lord, from this time forth and forever!”

Oh Father, give us faith! Give us heaven-focused hearts that filter everything, good or bad, through the lens of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Give us hearts of humility and quiet our collective souls as we choose to rest our heads against your bosom. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. —2 Corinthians 5:6-8 NKJV

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and
in peace in believing, that you may abound in hope
by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13 NJKV)

Marlene McKenna

Sweet Selah Ministries 

Vision
To inspire a movement away from the belief that “busy is better”
and toward the truth of God’s Word that stillness and knowing
Him matter most—and will be reflected in more effective work and service

Mission
To offer biblical resources and retreats that help women pause (Selah)
and love God more deeply as they know Him more intimately (Sweet)

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