Being Spiritually Weaned

The baby lay on her bed, pacifier in hand, heartbroken. Her mother, in the next room, waited. Now a year old, the nursing infant had begun to bite, tear, pull and swat at mama’s flesh. It was time, perhaps a little past time, for the process to be completed.

And oh, the wailing that had accompanied the denial of a former comfort! 

No amount of begging and pleading on baby’s part would change mama’s heart. Not because she didn’t care, but because she had tried for baby to return to nursing for just one more month. 

And the biting began again.

The time had come. The little girl, who thought mama belonged exclusively to her, soon realized that no amount of screaming, throwing things, or scowling looks would bring back the former comfort. 

But soon she yearned to be enfolded in her mother’s arms. Throwing down the pacifier, she ran to find if mama would hold her! No longer needing the nutrition her mama afforded, she cuddled and rested in mama’s love.

From then on the transformation was complete. 

In thinking over the past months of 2020, it seems much has been taken away from the “good life” prior to coronavirus. So many pleasures gone – sports, shopping, gatherings, and singing in church - for starters. 

On top of it, we have little to no control over the removal of these things. In short, in some weird way that fits, it feels a bit like are being… well… weaned. 

Is it possible the Lord is removing some of our former ways to make way for something new? 

Psalm 131 quite aptly addresses a similar situation. Leading up to the writing and singing of this psalm, King David had a rough go of life as well. He had endured eleven years of Saul’s persecution, and then nearly seven years of kingship in Hebron, not Jerusalem, while he awaited God’s plan to unfold. Meanwhile, he lived in caves and fought off untold enemies. 

On top of that, most commentators believe this psalm is written in response to a tongue lashing coming from David’s wife, Michal. The Bible tells us she despised David in her heart as she watched him dance, accusing him of being too undignified in front of the people. 

…So David went to bring up the ark of God… to the City of David with rejoicing… Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the Lord with all his might… ~2 Samuel 6:12-14

Michal didn’t appreciate David’s humble spirit and heart as he abandoned kingly garb and dignity. Instead, she loathed his behavior. 

But David praises God anyway, going straight to the Lord with his thoughts and feelings. Here is how he perceived the upsets and downturns in life.

Psalm 131, a psalm of ascents. Of David. 

Lord, my heart is not haughty,
and my eyes are not proud.
So I do not intrude into great matters
or into things too wonderful for me.

The fact is, GOD had taken away his job as a shepherd, his family (as he hid from Saul), and his sense of security. He was constantly attacked by his enemies. His former life had been simple. Now he found himself hiding in caves and living away from home.

But this psalm reveals his attitude toward the loss. He comes to a place of rest, even though a chaotic chain of events has changed his life forever.

Instead I have soothed and quieted my soul.
As a nursed child rests with its mother,
like a weaned child my soul rests with me.

David was not unsettled in the least. He humbly accepts his life of change. He loves the path the Lord has forged for him. 

He also looks ahead and speaks words of comfort to himself and his people. 

Wait confidently, O Israel, for the Lord
from now to eternity.

Once again, during Advent, an opportunity to turn our hearts from old to new is here. The soul of God’s child is weaned from one thing by giving its attention to another. 

Could it be that God is taking us from worldly things to heavenly things? From feeling self-righteous to resting in the righteousness of Jesus? Is He turning our eyes from our-self to Himself? Is He weaning us from outside in?

Like King David, we too have been through the wringer of life. 

Are we, like David, humble in acceptance? Are we soothed and quieted by His love, our souls resting in him? Do we have the utmost confidence as we wait for the Lord? 

May God grant a heart like David to each of his children! May we find rest in this season of change. And may the Spirit get us ready to receive the Newborn Savior with joyful anticipation of His final appearance.