The Hope of our Hearts (Psalm 131)
This sermon was preached to Grace Church Guildford on 17 September 2023. The audio recording of the sermon can be found below along with the transcript.
It is the most common cause of death around the world today. Indeed, here in the UK, one in four will die with it. And did you know that every 5 minutes someone is rushed into A&E because of it. What am I talking about? Well, of course, I am speaking about heart disease. It is the most common cause of death around the world today, and it will almost certainly impact either ourselves or those we love at some point during our lives. Indeed, I know many of you here tonight have had loved ones with heart problems, or experienced heart trouble yourself. Heart disease is the greatest danger we face medically, and so when we go to the doctors, it is unsurprising that they often tell us to take care of our heart. Above all else, they say we must look after our heart, keep it in good health.
And when we turn to the Bible, did you know that we receive very similar advice? Just as doctors tells us to care for our hearts physically, the Bible tells us to take great care of our hearts spiritually. In Proverbs 4:23, it urges: ‘Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.’ The Bible says that we must guard against spiritual heart disease, protect our hearts from the sinful desires that can clog up and control the very core of who we are. For as Proverbs 4:23 says, it is from this spiritual centre that everything we do flows. Just as our physical heart pumps blood to every other part of the body, and so must be cared for, our spiritual heart influences every aspect of our lives. And so, we must look after it. And that is what Psalm 131 helps us to do. Like an expert cardiologist, Psalm 131 explores and exposes our hearts, so we can see where our hearts are in danger, and what we can do about it.
During our summer series, different brothers have preached from different parts of the Psalms. Tonight, we are in my favourite section of the psalter, a section known as the songs of ascent. You see that in the superscription at the start. Those words in italics below the title, tell you that Psalm 131 was written by King David and belongs to a collection called songs of ascent. If you look at the surrounding psalms, you will see this collection runs from Psalm 120-134. Many think this collection was assembled to provide a songbook for God’s people travelling up to the temple for different religious festivals [...]. In the same way that when we go on a long car ride, we might put together a Spotify playlist today (or a mixed cassette tape, in years gone by), these songs were put together to provide a soundtrack for the journey to Jerusalem.
Maybe this is why so many of them are so short. They had to be short and sweet, catchy enough for people to pick up as they walked along. Four of the five shortest psalms in the psalter are here in the songs of ascent. Indeed, this psalm we will consider tonight is the third shortest in the whole book. And yet, as Charles Spurgeon put it, ‘[it is] one of the shortest psalms to read, [but] one of the longest to learn.’ What Psalm 131 teaches will only take me a few minutes to explain, but it will take us our whole lives to learn.
It splits easily into two parts. First, in 131:1-2, David talks to the Lord [...]. Then, in 131:3, he talks to Israel about the Lord [...]. If in 131:1-2 David is praying, in 131:3 David is preaching. And these two parts put two questions to us, probe and press us to consider: (1) How is your heart? (131:1-2) (2) Where is your hope? (131:3). [...]
1. HOW IS YOUR HEART? (131:1-2)
Our psalm speaks of two conditions our hearts could be in. In 131:1, we read of a restless heart. And in 131:2, we hear about a relaxed heart. I wonder which condition your heart is in tonight? As we think about these two verses, ask yourself which verse best describes you? Is your heart restless? Or is it relaxed? Is it concerned? Or content?
We read of the concerned heart in 131:1, as David writes: [...]. Two things I hope you noticed about 131:1. First, do you see David is confessing his heart is not like this, that is it is not currently in this condition. And yet, by saying his heart is not in this condition, he is showing that it could be, and indeed that your heart might be tonight. Second, did you notice, that David doesn’t actually describe this heart here as restless or concerned? And yet, in 131:2, we shall see that he contrasts this heart condition with that of a calm and contented heart. And so, we know rather than being as a contented child in 131:2, those with this first heart are like a crying child: restless, troubled.
I wonder if that describes you tonight. My prayer, as we look at this psalm, is that it will be a spiritual heart check-up for you. An opportunity for you to stop and examine yourself. Consider signs and symptoms in your life and work out what kind of condition your heart is in tonight. That’s what a doctor would do, wouldn’t he, if he was examining your heart physically? He would look for certain signs and symptoms in order to assess it. Ask you all about how you have been feeling. Have you had chest pain? Shortness of breath? Numbness or swelling? A fast heart rate? For those are all signs that something is physically wrong with your heart!
And the same is true if something is spiritually wrong. There will be signs and symptoms. I wonder if you have noticed any in your life recently? Are you struggling to sleep because of worries or concerns? Are you irritable with family or friends? Are you talking about a certain issue all the time? Or perhaps never wanting to address or discuss a certain issue? Are you falling into the same sin again and again? Regularly turning to food for comfort, or Netflix for distraction? Are you finding your devotions uninspiring? Has your prayer life dried up? Are you eager to come to church and gather with God’s people? Or do you just come because you have to? If you are a new student, are you worried about leaving home and settling here in Guildford? Does the idea of this coming term fill you with fear? Take a moment to examine yourself this evening. What is going on in your heart right now? Are you happy? Are you content? Are you resting in the arms of your Heavenly Father tonight? Or are you restless? Worried and anxious? Uneasy and unhappy in your heart?
Here in Psalm 131, David speaks of a concerned heart, a heart that is unsettled and upset, like a restless child. And yet, when he describes it in 131:1, did you notice he doesn’t actually draw our attention to restlessness. Oh yes, we get that from the comparison in 131:2. But in 131:1, David focuses not on the absence of calm and contentment, but on the reason why such things are absent. When David investigates the inside of this heart, he doesn’t point out the absence of peace. No, he points out the presence of pride. And it is for this reason, that David the psalmist, is such a good heart doctor. For he not only tells us what is wrong, but how it has gone wrong!
That’s what you want from the doctor, isn’t it? If you go to the doctor with a heart problem, you don’t just want them to look at the scan and say, ‘Well it looks like you have a heart problem.’ Of course, it does! That is why you went to see them! What you want the doctor to do is to tell you what has caused this problem! How has your heart ended up in this restless condition? And that is what David reveals here. He doesn’t just describe our signs and symptoms, he identifies their source! He points to the cause of our condition, the reason for restlessness. And the problem he points to in one word is ‘pride’. That’s clear from the first line, is it not? [...] And the rest of 131:1 builds on that. It speaks of eyes that are haughty, that is that look down on others, consider others to be less than ourselves. Less capable. Less deserving. Less faithful. And we see a proud heart not only impacts our eyes, but influences our mind as well. It causes us to focus and fixate on things beyond our ability, outside the realm of our responsibility, on ‘great matters...things too wonderful for me.’ David tells us a proud heart demands more than it deserves, bites off more than it can chew.
And so, is it any wonder that we end up with unfulfilled desires, unmet expectations, overwhelmed by cares and concerns! Brother or sister, if feel like you are drowning tonight, it is because you have waded in too deep! Friend, if you feel like you are carrying a heavy load, then perhaps it is time that you took the weight of the world off your shoulders. Here in Psalm 131, David says that it is arrogance that leads to anxiety. That a proud heart will never be a peaceful heart. No, it will always want to have more, be more, do more. As John Calvin puts it, ‘Those who [give themselves to] the influence of [ungodly] ambition will soon be lost in a [maze] of perplexity.’
It is our attempt to try to control our circumstances that causes so many of our cares and concerns. If you think your financial security depends on what you do. If you think your physical health lies wholly in your hands. If you think that it is ultimately your job to fix your family and secure their future. Then you are setting yourself up for a lifetime of misery.
Students, if you pile pressure on yourself to find the perfect group of friends this year, excel in your course, line up a career, come across a special someone, join 17 different societies and tell every student on campus about Jesus, then maybe you have bitten off a little more than you can chew. Setting yourself up for a year of discontentment. For you have taken on tasks that are too great for you alone to accomplish, concerned yourself with things too wonderful for you.
Oh, what a contrast such a condition is to the picture of the calm contented heart that David has for us in 131:2. [...] In Matthew 6, when teaching similar truths, Jesus turns to horticulture for an example. However here David turns to the home. In Matthew 6, Jesus will tell us to consider the birds. However, here in Psalm 131, David says we should take a look at babies. For in 131:2, we read: [...].
It is a wonderful illustration, and one I am growing more and more familiar with as a young father. Caleb, our firstborn, is just over 9 months old. And so is going through this very process that David is talking about. Up to now, Caleb has been a nursed child. Whenever he got hungry, he simply let us know about it and he usually was quickly given the milk he wanted. He got what he wanted, when he wanted. However, now he is beginning to start the weaning process. That is being weaned away from milk and onto food. Which means instead of getting what he wants, when he wants. He is learning to wait for his parents to provide him with his meals, not on his timetable, but on their timetable. He’s learning to have breakfast, lunch and dinner. And he is learning to eat the things that we give him, the broccoli, cauliflower and potatoes that we know are good for him. And here we see, that this process is not only exposing Caleb’s tongue to different flavours, but it also is exposing his heart to a degree of faith. For he is learning that he can trust his parents to provide his meals. That he doesn’t need to loudly demand his food, but he can quietly and calmly wait for us to give it to him.
That is the picture David uses here, a weaned child, that is one who has finished this weaning process. And so, when it is with its mother, it isn’t always wanting more and more milk to satisfy its needs, but it is relaxed, at rest, quietly cuddled up in her arms, enjoying her presence and trusting her to provide food in her own time. A weaned child is no longer controlled by its feelings, but by its faith, the trust it has in its mother. And David says that that is how our hearts should be. Instead of being concerned by the cares of this world, controlled by desires and demands. We should instead be relaxed and at rest, calm and content. Brothers and sisters, is that how your heart this evening? If not, is that not how you want it to be? Calm and content at the very core of your being? As peaceful as a child in their parents’ arms? Able to trust the timing of your heavenly father? Be at peace with all his purposes and plans? Well, if so, then you need to look at 131:3 again, pay attention to our second question this evening. Yes, in 131:1-2 David asks [...].
2. WHERE IS YOUR HOPE? (131:3)
As we have already pointed out in 131:1-2, David isn’t describing these two heart conditions from a distance. No, he is telling us how he has personally moved from one to the other! In 131:1, he declares his heart is not restless, but instead in 131:2 that it is calm and content. What’s more, he tells us in 131:2 that this is something that he has brought about. Did you notice that? Not only does he say at the end of 131:2 that he is content. But he says at the start of 131:2 that he has ‘calmed and quietened’ himself. Oh yes, David’s heart was once restless, but then he got it to relax. Yes, David was once overwhelmed by concerns, but then he learnt to be content. We see the same is true of Paul in Philippians 4:12, for there he too speaks about how he ‘learned the secret of being content in any and every situation’. David and Paul weren’t naturally content people, no it is something they worked at, learnt! Brother or sister, if your heart is restless tonight, troubled and uneasy, then see here there is a way to relax, to be calm and content, no matter what situation or circumstance you may face.
How is it that we can find such peace? What is this secret of contentment? How can we calm our hearts? Well, here in 131:3, David tells us it is all about where your hope is. You see, having described the diagnosis in 131:1-2, David now begins to recommend the remedy in 131:3. Having talked to the Lord about the problem, he now tells Israel about the solution. In 131:3 we read: [...]. Again, this is what any good doctor or cardiologist does. They come across a heart problem, they identify the cause, and then they start talking about solutions. They recommend you go on a diet, start an exercise regime, reduce stress or increase sleep, lower cholesterol or take medication. They not only diagnose you. Before you leave their room, they give you a remedy! And that’s what David does here. He tells us that there is a cure for spiritual heart disease. He has used it himself to great effect! And now he wants to recommend this remedy to others. He wants all of Israel, every member of God’s people, to know that they too can have a healthy and happy heart, if only they put their hope in the Lord. Here in 131:3, David tells us that if we are confident in God, we will be calm and content in our hearts.
Do you see how this makes sense of what David has already said? In 131:1, he said the reason for restlessness is pride. That it is arrogance that so often leads to our anxiety. We think more of ourselves than we ought. And so, we demand more, expect more, take on more. We try to carry the cares of the world on our two little shoulders. However, here instead, David explains that it is confidence that can cause contentment. Not confidence in ourselves, but confidence in God. It is by hoping in him that our hearts can become happy and healthy! Again, see this makes perfect sense of that illustration in 131:2. Why is it that a weaned baby is calm and content? It isn’t because he has somehow learnt how to forage for itself or cook its own meals! A weaned child has not become self-sufficient! No, what has happened is that it has learnt to trust its mother. It has put its hope in its parents for provision, and so is able to rest in and rely on them for its needs. And David is saying that as God’s people, as God’s children, we can do the very same.
Brothers and sisters, whatever worries you have this evening, whatever it is that is troubling your heart tonight, Psalm 131 tells you that you can calm and quieten your heart by hoping in God. Yes, our shoulders are far too small to bear the weight of the world. But the Lord? He can lift this whole universe up in the palm of his hand. He is the one who is sovereign over this cost-of-living crisis. He is the one who determines the ups and downs of the housing market. He is the one who not only gives us jobs, but gives us our daily bread. He not only oversees and arranges every doctor’s appointment you will ever go to, but every hair that falls from your head. Christian, he sent his only beloved Son to give you eternal life, so surely then you can trust him for the things of this life?
If you are a new student, no matter what you planned, it is clear that the Lord planned for you to come to university here in Guildford, to live in that particular flat, to meet that person on your course. He is in control of it all. Nothing is too great or too wonderful for him. The Lord can work out, manage, even the most minute details of your life. And so David tells you here to depend on, trust in him. To hope in the Lord ‘both now and forevermore.’ [...]
You see, for all our forecasting of the future, planning where we might be in 5 or 10 years time, in the end you and I don’t even know what tomorrow will bring! Oh, how much better is it then to draw confidence not from ourselves, but from the Lord. The one who not only knows what tomorrow will bring, but the next day, and the next day, and the day after that. Indeed, he is the one who has planned all of time from eternity past to eternity future. That is why David says here in 131:3, that we can hope in him ‘now and for evermore.’ For he has it all planned out, it is all under his control. There will not be a day in our lives, that we cannot hope in God. Not a year will go by that we cannot look to him. Whether we are 19 or 90 tonight, there is no time limit on this truth! We can hope in the Lord the whole way to heaven. And then, we won’t need to hope in him anymore, for we will be with him there forever!
Oh, what a joy it is to be a Christian! To have a hope that calms our hearts no matter what circumstance or situation we face. What a privilege it is to pass through this troubled world safe in the arms of our Heavenly Father! Do you see that to have God is to have hope in this world! And yet, do you see that the opposite is also true. As Paul puts it in Ephesians 2:12, those who are ‘without God in the world’ are ‘without hope’.
If you are with us tonight, and do not know God as your Father, are not part of his family through faith in his Son, then what do you put your hope in? When you are troubled? When cares and concerns begin to consume you? How do you calm your heart? What do you say to tell yourself it will all be OK? How do you know that it will all work out? Friend, this world is too big for you to control, it is beyond your ability to make it through this life alone. To be without God in this world, is to be like a man lost at sea, with no boat or land in sight. Oh yes, you might swim around for a while. But eventually you will sink beneath the waves. You will be overwhelmed, and washed away. And yet, the good news of Christianity, is that the same hope that calmed David’s heart, can comfort your heart tonight. That you too can hope in the Lord. For God is always willing to rescue those who are drowning, to lift us up and out of the waves and to keep us safe and secure in his arms.
You see, this message that David declares in 131:3, that we are to hope in the Lord, is really the whole message of the Bible. The whole message of the Bible, again and again, is for us to have faith in, depend on, hope in the Lord. You can see that here even in the Psalms. For the same message is seen in Psalm 130. Just cast your eye up the page a bit, and see that in Psalm 130:7, the psalmist tells us the same thing. There we read in 130:7: [...].
The good news of Christianity, the Gospel, is that even though we deserve to be condemned by God because of our sin, we can become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. Because of the Lord’s unfailing love, he sent his Son Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for his people’s sin, so that whoever believe in him, hopes in him, not only has their sins forgiven, but becomes part of God’s family. Through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, if we repent of our sin and put our hope in God, he will scoop us up into his arms, adopt us as his child, and care for us for ever. Will you put your hope in the Lord this evening? Come to him in faith and find forgiveness for your sin and a father who will care for you forever?
CONCLUSION
How is your heart this evening? Is it restless or relaxed? Concerned or content? Well, I hope you see that how your heart is will entirely depend on where your hope is. If you are relying on yourself tonight, then you have every reason in the world to be worried. And yet, if you are hoping in God, then you can quietened your heart. For Psalm 131 teaches us that when we are confident in God, we will be calm and content in our hearts.
You know Christian, the next time you see a little baby, nestling in its mothers’ arms, as happy as anyone could ever be, a picture of calm and contentment, remember that Psalm 131 says you could be like that. That your heart could be as happy as the heart of that little baby, if only you hoped in your heavenly Father. Remembered that you are safe and secure in his almighty arms.
Now, of course, babies aren’t always like that! I can certainly testify to that from recent personal experience. Yes, sometimes they lie content in their mother’s arms, but they also spend a lot of time crying! As Sarah and I are finding out, a baby doesn’t learn to wean overnight. It takes time for them to learn that they can trust their parents for all their needs. And that is why Spurgeon said Psalm 131 ‘[is] one of the shortest psalms to read, [and yet] one of the longest to learn.’ For just as it takes time for baby to learn that they can trust their parents, it takes time for us as Christians to grow and mature, to be weaned from relying on ourselves to depending on our God. And yet, see here in Psalm 131, that it is possible to learn. That like David, no matter how our heart is, we can calm and quieten it by hoping in the Lord.
