12 Rising to Maturity
“Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child.” Ps 131:2
Ascending in worship includes finding our place at the feet of the Savior. We will not achieve what we should in worship until we humble ourselves in the presence of God. Several years ago I preached a message from this text titled “Are You a Weaned Child or a Spoiled Brat?” You can be certain that a spoiled brat will not be able to relate to the Lord as a child of God should relate to the Father.
This does not mean that the Lord does not love children. Jesus loves the little children is one of the first songs our kids learn in Sunday school. And it is very true. They are loved in their innocence, and in their not so innocence as well. There are also childlike qualities that believers should seek to retain. Childlike faith, a lack of pretension, and humility are traits that come quite naturally for children, yet are much harder for adults to maintain.
But do you think that the Lord expects believers to remain as little children in every way? Of course not! Paul said:
“Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.” 1 Cor 14:20
God expects our faith to remain childlike, our ability to forgive one another to be childlike, but in other ways He rightly expects believers to grow, mature, and gain understanding.
The qualities that are mentioned in this psalm of ascension are those of a child that has gained a certain degree of maturity. Psalm 131 is not celebrating immaturity; it is an expression of a higher type of sonship. As we draw near to God in worship, we should rejoice in our sonship, yet worship raises the level of maturity in God’s children. Let’s consider the qualities of maturity that are expressed by the psalmist.
Recognizing Things Beyond Me
“LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me.” Ps 131:1
Ascending to worship is an ascension in my relationship with God. This progressive act of surrender in worship brings with it a level of maturity. Entering into God’s presence makes us aware how many things are truly “beyond” us. Verse one speaks of “things too high” or “too wonderful” (NIV) for me.
The first quality of maturity mentioned is a heart that is not “haughty.” Ascending to God’s holy hill should help us realize how limited we are and how dependent we are upon the Lord. I read recently of a statement an honest doctor made about a child born with a rare birth defect. His statement was: “It is in God’s hands. We will have to wait and see what God will do.” How rare for a medical person to express such childlike faith in the Almighty. We often have a hard time admitting that most things truly are in God’s hands. We would rather fuss and stew over things that only God can control. Ascend the holy hill, sit in His presence, hear His wisdom, and let your heart learn humility.
It is a haughty heart that fails to recognize God’s preeminence in all things. And the possessor of a haughty heart begins to act in the place of God. The personal “I” behind lofty eyes begins to think that his point of view is the only one that matters. A heart that is not humble before God will act without shame before men. Lord, deliver us from haughty hearts and lofty eyes.
One example of a haughty heart is found in the life of King Uzziah of Judah.
“But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the LORD his God, and went into the temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the altar of incense.” 2 Chron 26:16
When Uzziah became “strong” and failed to recognize the source of his strength, he transgressed against the Lord. Uzziah’s transgression was to try to participate in that which did not pertain to him. This is what a haughty heart leads to. It means, “lifted up” and one who is haughty tries to involve themselves in things they do not understand and do not pertain to them. Isn’t this just like an immature child? Always trying to do or participate in things that are not appropriate for them.
The next quality of maturity mentioned is the absence of “lofty” eyes. One writer says, “pride has its seat in the heart, and betrays itself especially in the eyes” (Hengstenberg quoted in Pulpit). Lofty eyes are always looking at that which is not proper for the godly to hold or participate in. Lofty eyes are the eyes of a small child that come to rest on the piano keys or the computer keyboard. All of those buttons need to be pressed, and the order in which they are pressed doesn’t really matter!
“The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single [properly adjusted], thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!” Matt 6:22-23
And then the statement is made about “not exercising myself in great matters, or in things too high for me.” There are some folks who never recognize that there are issues and matters that are above their ability to understand or appreciate. Before we can commit to not becoming involved in something beyond us, we must recognize that there indeed are things beyond us. Then we must learn to recognize when something is of this variety. If our heart is haughty and our eyes lofty, it is doubtful that we will understand when something is beyond our own wisdom and understanding.
These three faults - a heart that is haughty, eyes that are lofty, and assertion in matters beyond us, have their origin and development in pride.
“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” Prov 16:18
Pride leads the way and allows these and many other faults to develop and grow in our life. Pride is the enemy of spiritual maturity.
“Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.” Ps 24:3-4
Accepting Things I Don’t Like
“Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child.” Ps 131:2
In verse one we saw things that those who pursue spiritual maturity must not possess. Now we see things that will happen because of maturity. With the understanding that some things are beyond my ability to understand or to remedy, comes a relief of responsibility in those areas. As the good doctor said, “It is in God’s hands. We’ll have to wait and see what He will do.” This is not apathetic despair, but courageous acceptance and quite faith.
A wise saying is: “God, grant me the courage to change the things I can, the tranquility to accept the things I can’t change, and the wisdom to know the difference.” If we do know the difference, then all that remains is to ask God to provide either courage or tranquility. And by His grace we will either change it or accept it, as the case may be.
The ability to accept things that I do not like is a sign of maturity. You say, “Wait! Can’t I change any situation if I have faith?” If the matter in question is “too high” for you, why do you suppose you know better than God? I believe if we would spend as much time seeking to know and to accept the will of God as we do trying to influence the will of God we would be much more productive believers. Could it be that what we perceive as “faith” sounds more like the crying of an unweaned baby to God? I am afraid that our theory is more along the lines of: The crying baby is the one that gets the milk. Unfortunately we are often crying because we want the steak, when we don’t even have teeth to chew it!
And then there are those who are weaned but still behave as if they were not. Is there anything more disgusting to see than a child of eight or more years throw themselves on the ground and scream bloody murder when they don’t get their way? They might be weaned, but they sure don’t behave as if they are! They ask their parents to explain all the why’s and whatfor’s about every decision that is made. And then they want to argue with the answer! They don’t have the mental equipment to understand the answer and neither do they have the maturity to accept the fact that they can’t understand. Their heart is haughty, their eyes lofty, and they involve themselves in things beyond their ability to understand. In short, they are spoiled brats!
A child of God who has some degree of maturity is able to:
- Behave - He refuses to misbehave simply because things aren’t to his pleasing.
- Quite himself - He is able to bring his emotions and intellect under control.
- He refuses to lose composure or behave in a way unbecoming to a child of God due to situations or circumstances beyond his control.
And what is the underlying basis for this type of self-control? A mature child of God understands that just because the situation is beyond his/her control, does not mean it is beyond God’s control. God is in total control. I can behave and quite myself because those things beyond my understanding and control are not beyond His. I trust Him.
The Quality of Hope is Determined by the Character of God’s Child
“Let Israel hope in the LORD from henceforth and for ever.” Ps 131:3
The spiritual implications of this short psalm are enormous. Our very soul is to become as a weaned child before God. We must learn to accept God’s Will for our lives, as a weaned child trusts mother to know what is best. We must behave and quite our soul in the same way.
Our maturity level determines the quality of our hope in the Lord. Hope is that quality that enables us to stand by faith. A spoiled brat has little to look forward to except a life of hard lessons and muffed opportunities. But one whose soul is even as a weaned child can look to the Lord and His Promises with hope.
Conclusion:
There are characteristics that separate a weaned child from a spiritual suckling. Learning to accept God’s Will for our lives is at the top of the list. This begins with humility … humility that enables us to recognize that some things are “too high” for us to understand or appreciate.
Once we have learned what God’s Will is, we must behave and quite our soul to accept it. Many times this requires more faith than seeking to change God’s Will.
Our hope in God is based on a quiet and controlled kind of faith. It is this type of hope that is a virtue that endures forever.
“And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” 1 Cor 13:13
© 2008 Nevin Bass. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced for the purpose of resale without written permission.
