The Toddler’s Prayer

 Psalm 131 (ESV)

O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;
     my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
     too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
     like a weaned child with its mother;
     like a weaned child is my soul within me.
O Israel, hope in the Lord
     from this time forth and forevermore.

Recently, I’ve had several people come to me with restless hearts and anxious minds. Plagued by problems that neither they nor I could

Greg Smith is a Baptist minister who has served churches in Central and Southside Virginia. He lives in Halifax County, VA with his wife and children. To read more of Greg’s writings check out his blog at revgregsmith.blogspot.com.

solve, what they needed more than answers was peace. If I were a doctor, I could write a prescription for medication—but as a pastor I wrote them a prescription for meditation. Psalm 131 is one of the best scriptures I know, for dealing with restlessness and anxiety. I’d like to share it with you today.

The first two lines deal with humility—a virtue which eclipses anxiety. Ego says, “I’m worried about my problems, my issues, my situations.” But the humble heart realizes that there’s a bigger picture than the one it can see. Instead of imagining himself at the center, the humble person keeps God in the center. When we take God out of the center and put ourselves there instead, we think that we have to be the solution to everything. Humility realizes that God is almighty and that we are not. Knowing this at the core, the humble person can rest free from anxiety.

The next two lines build upon humility with simplicity. The simple heart refuses to entangle itself in the world’s complexities that do nothing but bring it down. Simplicity flies free from the restraints imposed upon it by knotty situations. It eludes exhausting philosophies and rests instead in uncomplicated singleness of spirit. The simple answer is usually the best, especially for the person who’s way too stressed.

The following three lines paint a picture of a toddler in her mother’s arms. Whereas a nursing baby is constantly clamoring after her mother’s breast for milk, the weaned child can simply lay her head on her mother’s breast and rest in that love. Without asking for anything, she can unselfishly enjoy her mother’s presence. Often our anxiety causes us to grasp after God, not wanting God’s presence so much as a solution to our problems. Like nursing children, we’re more interested in God for our own sake than for the sake of relationship. But the one who prays the toddler’s prayer simply rests in God’s presence. Like a child with her head on her mother’s breast, we try to listen for God’s heartbeat, instead of pulling after the Lord for more milk. When you experience anxiety, try resting with God instead of reaching for God. You’ll find more peace in God’s arms than appealing before His throne.

The final two lines can refer not just to the nation of Israel, but to anyone who has the heart of Israel, a name that means “One who wrestles with God.” We often find ourselves wrestling with God, struggling to understand a complex problem or trying to convince God to do our will through persistent prayer. The Hebrew word that the ESV translates as “hope” can also be rendered as “wait.” It’s a practice that involves patient trust in a God who is far more able than you are, to do all that you need on your behalf. The psalmist reminds us also that our hope is now and forevermore. In other words, our times are in God’s hands. (Ps 31.15)

When you feel restless, anxious, or afraid, my prescription for you is a meditation on Psalm 131. Instead of worrying, fretting, and grasping after God for a solution to your problem, simply trust that He is working His purpose out in your life. Wait in His arms. Pray like a toddler who simply enjoys her mother’s presence. Instead of praying that God will do your will, practice patience and peace as you enjoy the Father’s caress.