Now Rest
Friday’s Verse:
From Psalm 131:2 NIV
"But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content."
Psalm 131 does not imagine life without noise or responsibility. It imagines a soul at rest. The baby lying down in verse one is not sleeping because life is easy. The baby is at peace because it knows where it is.
Lutherans like to talk openly about how restless our hearts can be. We want answers. We want to be in control. We want to show ourselves busy, faithful, and accomplished. Psalm 131 interrupts our striving. David finds peace not by conquering his soul, but by surrendering to rest.
The child who has been weaned does not cling out of fear or panic. It rests its head in quiet trust against its mother. That is faith like the Bible describes it. Faith is not frantic clinging. It is calm trust. Not peace we manufacture for ourselves. But peace we receive from our Maker.
If your mind races today, this verse invites you to quit trying to handle it all just for a minute. You are not loved because of what you do or how well you understand. You are loved because Christ loves you, and has claimed you as his very own. Your work is done in Christ. Now rest.
✝️ A Prayer for Today:
Lord, quiet my restless thoughts. Still, my need to control and explain. As the child rests with its mother,
let my soul rest in You. Through Jesus Christ,who has done all the work necessary. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
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