Songs from the Heart Day 42 Psalms 130 & 131

Reread Psalms 130-131.

Today is Palm Sunday, the Sunday on which Christians around the world remember Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. People lined the streets as Jesus rode in on a donkey, shouting, “Hosanna!” and heralding him as the long-awaited Messiah. 

Yet while this Sunday was marked with great and joy and celebration, it also marks the final week of Jesus’ earthly ministry. During this week, Jesus experienced the highest of highs and the depths of soul-crushing despair and sorrow. While this final week of Jesus’ earthly life is bookended with two pivotal moments of great joy—the triumphal entry and the resurrection—much of what happened in between was bittersweet, difficult, painful and devastating. 

So, it’s no surprise that this week’s Psalms of Ascent meet us in the pit of despair and remind us poignantly of the reason for our hope. In Psalm 130, the psalmist cried out for God’s mercy from a place of deep distress, and ultimately placed his hope in the Lord. In Psalm 131, David reminded us that God is sovereign and powerful—and we are not. Rather than placing our hope in this world or our own strength or continually worrying about “matters too great or too awesome” for us to understand (Ps. 131:1), David called us to rest in the Lord, like a child comfortable, safe and content in the arms of his or her father. “Stop your worrying,” David seems to be saying. “Stop your running here and there, trying to control every circumstance in your life. Trust the Lord because he is trustworthy. It may not feel like it, but you are safe.” 

I struggle when life feels out of control. I’m a person who loves schedules, makes detailed plans and tries to anticipate potential problems that might arise. But the reality of living life that way is that I’m often trying to control situations and solve the problem in my own way. And, sometimes, what I see as a problem to be solved in a season God is calling me to walk through so that I can experience his faithfulness and learn to rest in him, like a contented child. It’s a lesson I find myself having to learn repeatedly, over and over again, as I again and again try to wrestle control from his hands and make it fit my plans and ideas. 

Becoming a Christian doesn’t mean that you’re guaranteed a problem-free life. In fact, according to Jesus himself in John 16:33, it’s quite the opposite. In this world you will have trouble. You will face disappointment, difficulty and seasons of sorrow and deep grief. Troubles will arise, and terrible, terrible things may happen, but the message of Psalms 130 and 131—and of Jesus’ final week on earth—is that these difficulties aren’t the end of the story. 

The end of the story is resurrection and redemption and rest—not because we wrestled and fought our way through in our own strength, but because we quieted ourselves and put our hope in the Lord. So often, I approach disappointment and difficulty like battles to be won, things I have to push through so I can get to the other side and everything will be OK again. But that’s not what these psalms picture. Rather than pushing through in my own strength, I’m called to rest and trust and seek the Lord. In the depths of despair and the darkest seasons, he’s not calling you to wage your own war and control the situation. He’s inviting you to seek him. 

This week, as you reflect on the final week of Jesus’ life on earth, fight the urge to push through and fix every difficulty in your life right now. Rather than fighting, seek to rest and trust, knowing that God is the one who brings rest, redemption and resurrection—even from the depths of despair.