Calm Down!

~Psalm 131~

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.

Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul,

Like a weaned child with his mother;

Like a weaned child is my soul within me.

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

          

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           I don’t know about you, but sometimes when I stop to pray- even if my surroundings are quiet and calm, my mind is going a million miles a minute! I just can’t seem to quiet my mind down enough to pray - or even for Him to speak to me. It’s like my mind is a wild race horse running away from it’s owner-“Hey! Get back here, I need you!”

In the quietness I managed to make happen in my home... I start to pray...

“Dear Lord,
       What do I do about this, and what about that, and just UGH! No, I don't want to look at my sins? Can I just pray? I start to fight with my own conscience and then, Great! my phones ringing…. Is that the baby? I thought she was asleep. NO! Jesus my heart and mind are running mad, I wish I was on a Billy Graham retreat, remember those lady retreats? The peace, and resting in Him, I wish I was back on one of those, but wait, I'm in the bath tub, or the closet, or wherever I have chose my quiet place to be today. Ok so,  …  I have a million things to discuss with you, and to talk about,  and an innumerable amount of prayer requests for others, is there room for me, my kids, and my family? I still have to do the dishes and get some work done, so the house is in order for my husband when he gets home from working all day.. and Oh! do you know what someone said to me? Oh yes, my husband, and my dad, and my job, and my dance career, oh yes and thank you for my talents, and an awesome husband that will keep the baby while I go dance, or grab coffee. Thank you for my AWESOME CHURCH! Our amazing God fearing pastor, our life group, but oh! Can you make it possible for me to be in 4 places at once? I want to be there for our friends. Oh I want to pray for my hurting friend who needs....  Our ladies on a mission trip. Thank you for ... Ugh, Lord I’m all confused and my mind is going too fast for me to pray right now.. Oh Jesus, help me calm down!

I sat in silence-a bit. Sad that I was too hyper in my mind to feel like I could talk to God.

  Again I asked “ Lord help me calm down so I can pray"

“ I have calmed and  quieted myself”

Lord, my heart is not proud;
my eyes are not haughty.
I don’t concern myself with matters too great
or too awesome for me to grasp.
Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself,
like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk.
Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me.
O Israel, put your hope in the Lord—  now and always

-I Looked for scripture, to calm my soul-

Wow, that’s weird……I just prayed for that. I began to read, reread, ponder and meditate until I had the entire verse memorized.  After studying this scripture, something supernatural happened. It was amazing.  How can I explain it?  I felt as if I was underwater swimming – in a beautiful place- quietness surrounded me and my soul was calm. My mind was refreshed and silenced as I looked in awe and wonder of God’s great creation.  Quiet… beautiful.. I also love when it just releases. I cry. Crying can be soooo super refreshing during prayer.

    To prepare my mind and heart for prayer, I search for a quiet resting place, this may be the bathroom, your front porch, coffee in hand. Its not too hard to find. Even just 2 minutes!

Walk with me through the scripture

Psalm 131:

 Lord my heart is not Proud
             I don’t consider myself above others, this only leads to restlessness. I don’t hunger for adoration or attention. I consider Moses, the most humble man on the earth. I put others first. This humbleness and contentment allows God’s leading in our life. I don’t need to prove myself to others, but the Lord is my security.
           I keep far from pride and check my heart for any hidden pride that may have snuck in. Uh oh! Everytime I meditate on this, it's as if the Lord opens my eyes to hidden sins I didn’t see. Maybe unforgivness snuck in, I mistreated someone. Didn't put Him first?  Father keep me humble. Teach me to live like Jesus, seeing others greater than I, and to be a servant to others. Not to seek fame, wealth or anything this world has to offer. But to give my life heart and mind to You.

My eyes are not haughty
               My eyes do not condemn others. I don’t think I’m better than other people. I put others first and consider them. Have I been selfish? Have I looked down on someone else because of the way they look or dress? Lord, forgive me for my pride and help me live with a humble heart.  Put others first – this is the way to lead others to Christ. Teach me to die to myself and let Christ reign in my life.

I don’t consider myself with things to great for me to grasp. Neither do I concern myself with great matters, Nor with things too profound for me.     
     I put my life in the Lord’s hands and trust Him. I bring my thoughts, anxieties and my unanswered questions captive to Jesus. I don’t worry about matters that surround me, for I know the Lord takes care of me. I remember Isaiah 51:12 that reminds me not to worry about the words of defeat and despair around me, but to put all my trust in my heavenly Father. Sure, I want all the answers….but patience is key as well as bringing thoughts to Christ.
       Don’t sit and worry- Why? How? What if? What’s going to happen? What will they think of me? Don’t worry and don’t be concerned with these things. Think only of things that are true, God honoring, worthy of Praise, trustworthy,  holy, thankfulness, noble and virtuous (Phil 4:8) Bringing all things up to Him in prayer.

I have calmed and quieted myself
         Ah – that feels good to be calm and worry free. God has calmed my heart. It is like diving into a beautiful ocean deep within the sea. There is quietness and calmness around me and in my heart and I am surrounded by His Glory and beauty. In wonderous awe, I am silenced as I see the beauty that surrounds me. By His awesome works and His mighty Power.
          Be calm and quiet- Fix your thoughts
Like a weaned child with his mother
        My complete trust and faith in Him grows more and more each day. I know He takes care of me and will always supply all my needs. I don’t need to throw myself on the ground, kicking and screaming about what may happen tomorrow. I know the Lord will supply and surround me with all the grace I need for each day.
       Like a child who fully trusts in his parents- who doesn’t need to worry about tomorrow- so is my soul within me.
Like a weaned child is my soul within me
  Just in case it didn’t sink in the first time,  the bible repeats this for confirmation as a content child, so is my soul- fully trusting, content, and calm. I am like a child who has everything he wants or needs. My heart is calm and content. I have everything I need in Christ Jesus. I am happy, content and quiet- and so is my soul.  The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He leads me, He guides me, He restores me and prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the House of the Lord forever
O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forever.
   Dear Child of God, you can put your trust in Him. O Lord, I put all my hope in you, now and forever.

  I’ve been tested on calmness the entire time I’ve been writing this post. My daughter decided now would be the perfect time to have a meltdown and my phone kept going off. I got up to calm my daughter about 8 times. Which is fine, because she is my priority, but as I was fixing her some warm milk, I laughed and thought... How funny the enemy is, knowing I'm needing quiet and prayer time, and the distractions that just happen. So I asked God to put all of that aside.

My own heart may be calm at this present moment. But it is not always this easy. I try to do this EVERY hour of the day. It's a constant conscious decision to always talk to God, tell Him every thing that is happening as it happens. And to seek guidance, truth, wisdom and knowledge on each event. From making dinner to talking to a friend in need. He is Emmanuel, God with us. He is always there, waiting for us to ask Him for help. He wants to see that we are going to trust Him with our every move. And yes! It is hard most of the time because of the distractions! We forget! And try to do everything ourselves! When I start getting flustered and upset. I have to stop and say ok! What am I doing wrong?? And I put EVERYTHING on hold for even just a minute and a half and say God.. help, I am drowning. My family, my daughter, my husband, needs me. And I feel so weak. Turn off the cell phone, the computer, and everything noisy for just a moment. And REST in HIM. Instant espresso shot of coffee! God is addictive! Try Him today.