{"id":3354,"date":"2023-02-03T16:13:47","date_gmt":"2023-02-03T16:13:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.desiringgodchurch.org\/web\/?p=3354"},"modified":"2023-02-04T23:03:25","modified_gmt":"2023-02-04T23:03:25","slug":"what-do-you-need-to-have-peace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.desiringgodchurch.org\/web\/2023\/02\/03\/what-do-you-need-to-have-peace\/","title":{"rendered":"What Do You Need to Have Peace?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[This Sunday, I plan to preach on Psalms 129, 130 and 131. In 2009 I preached on Psalm 131 as part of a series entitled \u201cThe Gospel for Two-Year-Olds \u2013 Like You!\u201d This devotion is a shortened form of the second sermon in that series, preached August 30, 2009. You can listen to that sermon via <a href=\"http:\/\/www.eqotw.org\/media\/?p=266\">this link<\/a> \u2013 Coty]<\/p>\n<p>What do you need in order to have peace?<\/p>\n<p>That is, what do you need in order to rest completely?<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A well-paying job, in your preferred field, with a good boss?<\/li>\n<li>Good grades, a respected degree?<\/li>\n<li>A sense of accomplishment, of usefulness, of being needed?<\/li>\n<li>A loving spouse, with a satisfying sex life?<\/li>\n<li>Happy and obedient children?<\/li>\n<li>A certain level of income \u2013 and a house, a good car, nice clothes?<\/li>\n<li>Respect from others? Love?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Or to put it another way: How would you complete this sentence: \u201cI would be content if I just had _____\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In Psalm 131, David gives a beautiful picture of the peace we can have with God:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">O LORD, my heart is not lifted up;<br \/>\nmy eyes are not raised too high;<br \/>\nI do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.<br \/>\nBut I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother;<br \/>\nlike a weaned child is my soul within me.<br \/>\nO Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and forevermore.<\/p>\n<p>David Powlison says this psalm is \u201cshow-and-tell for how to become peaceful inside,\u201d while Charles Spurgeon notes, \u201cIt is one of the shortest Psalms to read, but one of the longest to learn.\u201d So let\u2019s begin to learn how to relax and rest in God like a well-fed two-year-old with her mother.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Psalmist at Peace<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>David describes his peaceful condition through three negative statements:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>His heart is not lifted up<\/li>\n<li>His eyes are not raised too high<\/li>\n<li>He does not focus on what is beyond him.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In Hebrew, the word \u201cheart\u201d refers to the entire inner being: Emotions, intellect, and will. So the first statement refers to what David is thinking of himself. He does not exalt himself.<\/p>\n<p>The second statement refers to where I think I am going: My plans, goals, ambitions, desires, worries, pressures, and fears. In effect, he is saying: \u201cI have no plans to exalt myself in the future, for I have no need to prove myself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>These first two statements together describe a man who is humble, not self-centered.<\/p>\n<p>What do these have to do with peace?<\/p>\n<p>When you are not at peace, you are not humble. You are saying, \u201cMy status is more important than anything else. No matter who God is, no matter what promises He may have made, I cannot have peace unless I have X.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Two-year-olds are like this, aren\u2019t they? He sees cookies just out of the oven cooling on the counter, and asks for one. When told no, they are for later, he becomes upset and declares, \u201cI <em>need <\/em>a cookie!\u201d Regardless of how loving and giving his parents might be, he has no peace because he doesn\u2019t have a cookie.<\/p>\n<p>In effect, he is saying to his parents, \u201cYou say you provide, but you\u2019re not giving me <em>this cookie. <\/em>I can\u2019t be happy without it! So you must not be loving parents! If you really loved me you would give me what I want!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Contrast that with David\u2019s attitude. He is saying, \u201cI\u2019m not magnifying my perception of needs, my plans, my schemes. I am not worried about my present state or my future. I am not driven by what other people think of me now, or what they will think of me in future. I am at peace, resting on God.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In David\u2019s third negative statement, he declares that he does not occupy himself or walk around in \u201cthings too great and too marvelous for me.\u201d This too is a statement of humility. He admits there is much that is beyond his ability to understand \u2013 that God knows, and he does not. The point is not, \u201cDon\u2019t think about such things!\u201d David was king! He certainly was concerned about perplexing events in his country. But he did not say, \u201cI cannot have peace unless I know the answer to these questions!\u201d We can be concerned, we can weep with those who weep, and still have peace, still be at rest, trusting in the One Who knows all things, Who controls all things. We can be like a two-year-old who experiences a deep sorrow \u2013 yet rests in his loving parent\u2019s arms. He can\u2019t understand \u2013 and doesn\u2019t have to.<\/p>\n<p>How do we \u2013 as two-year-olds before God \u2013 come to that state?<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>How to Become Peaceful<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>After the three negative statements in verse 1, David makes a positive statement in verse 2:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.<\/p>\n<p>Note that David is active, not passive. As the NAS renders the verse, \u201dSurely I have composed and quieted my soul.\u201d He has worked to bring about this state.<\/p>\n<p>What has he done? The first verb literally means \u201cmade level,\u201d while the second connotes being still, being at rest. Then note that \u201csoul\u201d in Hebrew refers not to the immortal or immaterial part of you, but more to the part of your being that has desires and passions.<\/p>\n<p>So David says here: \u201cI have taken initiative. I have made level my passions and desires. These things I want do not control me. I am tempted to let my passions and desires run my life, not to have peace unless they are fulfilled. But I have resisted those temptations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Note that he is <em>not <\/em>saying, \u201cI have stifled all desire. I am hardened to whatever happens. I have no more passions.\u201d Scripture never commends that attitude. We are to rejoice, to love, to mourn, to weep.<\/p>\n<p>Rather, what David has done is to level out those desires, to knock them down to size, to quiet their cries and to put them in their proper place.<\/p>\n<p>David then compares this state to the two-year-old on his mother\u2019s lap. While the word translated \u201cweaned\u201d can mean a child who no longer nurses, it can also mean a child who has just <em>finished <\/em>nursing. I think that\u2019s the image here. The child has nursed. She has all she needs. She has satisfied her hunger. She feels safe and secure and loved on her mother\u2019s breast. She is completely at peace.<\/p>\n<p>This is the picture of all who are in Jesus before God \u2013 loved, provisioned, protected, peaceful. For He promises us His love (1 John 3:1). He promises us protection (2 Timothy 4:18). He promises us the food and clothing we need to fulfill His purposes (Matthew 6:31-33). And He promises us His constant presence (Hebrews 13:5).<\/p>\n<p>So we can rest peacefully on Him. Yes, we will be perplexed at times; we will weep at times; we will often have deep concerns. But we don\u2019t live lives dominated by those concerns. We still and quiet our souls; we make level our passions; we rest in His love, in His provision.<\/p>\n<p>Therefore we <em>won\u2019t <\/em>say, \u201cI can only have peace if I have _____!\u201d We have Him. We have all that we need.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Source of Peace<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In the first two verses, David does not make explicit the source of his contentment. He does that in the final verse:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and forevermore.<\/p>\n<p>Here David calls on all God\u2019s people to do what he has done. Everyone who believes in the Lord Jesus, everyone who is part of God\u2019s holy nation (1 Peter 2:9) must hope in the Lord!<\/p>\n<p>This exhortation is both what we <em>must do<\/em> and <em>why we can rest. <\/em><\/p>\n<p>That little child hopes in his mother and father. He doesn\u2019t understand much about what is going on, but he trusts them. He isn\u2019t able to provide for himself, but he believes they will provide. He sees, perhaps, dangers in the world, but he trusts their protection.<\/p>\n<p>Just so with us before God.<\/p>\n<p>And note that this is to go on forevermore! We never outgrow sitting on that restful lap!<\/p>\n<p>How do we put this into practice? What is the spiritual dynamic at play here?<\/p>\n<p>When we are tempted to fret, to worry, to lack peace, we are to calm and quiet our souls by reminding ourselves of God\u2019s character, of His plan of redemption, and of His promises: He promises to work all things together for our good and His glory; He promises to redeem all of creation, creating a new heavens and new earth; He promises to right every wrong, to wipe away every tear; He promises to make us like Jesus \u2013 forever and ever.<\/p>\n<p>Consider in particular the overarching promise of Luke 12:32. Jesus says,<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father&#8217;s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.<\/p>\n<p>This is what God <em>wants <\/em>to do! If you are in Christ, He <em>wants <\/em>to give you His kingdom!\u00a0 He wants to bring you into His presence. He wants to shower you with His love.\u00a0 He wants you to be His precious child, His heir. He wants to grant you a new body in the new heavens and new earth. He wants to use you for His glory, so that you play a role in the greatest accomplishment of all time.<\/p>\n<p>And remember: Whatever God pleases, He does (Psalm 135:6). Nothing can stop Him.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>So how can you rest? What do you need in order to have peace?<\/p>\n<p>We can make long lists of things we think we need. We can allow ourselves to get all worked up and upset and fretful because of what we lack.<\/p>\n<p>But really there is only one thing we need.<\/p>\n<p>What we need is Jesus \u2013 and nothing else.<\/p>\n<p>Every other good in this life \u2013 everything we lack, everything we think we need &#8211; fundamentally Is not valuable in and of itself. Rather: if received, it is most valuable because it is a token of love from the One who loves us more than we can imagine. And if God withholds it from us &#8211; then He has something better. Even that withholding \u2013 painful as it may be \u2013 is for our good.<\/p>\n<p>So away with all thoughts of, \u201cI would be happy if &#8230;\u201d or \u201cI need answers to life\u2019s questions before I can be at peace.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The only question that matters is: Do you have Jesus?<\/p>\n<p>Apart from Him \u2013 you cannot trust any of His promises. You cannot rest on God\u2019s lap. You cannot know His love. For we all deserve punishment (Psalm 130:3). We need someone to pay the penalty for us. We need someone to stand in our place.<\/p>\n<p>Those who are in Jesus have peace with God because He took on that penalty at the Cross (Romans 5:1, 8).<\/p>\n<p>So believe in Him. Trust Him.<\/p>\n<p>He is the one thing you need for peace. Not a house. Not a job. Not fulfillment. Not recognition. Not status. Not a spouse or sex or children.<\/p>\n<p>Having Jesus: Fight the fight to believe. Remind yourself of Who God is. Meditate on His promises. And know: If you have Jesus, peace is yours. Rest in Him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cO Israel: Hope in the Lord from this time forth and forevermore.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[This Sunday, I plan to preach on Psalms 129, 130 and 131. In 2009 I preached on Psalm 131 as part of a series entitled \u201cThe Gospel for Two-Year-Olds \u2013&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,15,24],"tags":[521,2662,641,743,2661,2078,1138,2660,1240,1334,1623,1634,1724],"class_list":["post-3354","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog","category-devotions","category-sermons","tag-fear","tag-fear-not-little-flock","tag-gods-promises","tag-hope","tag-luke-1232","tag-one-thing","tag-peace","tag-perplexity","tag-psalm-131","tag-rest","tag-trust","tag-two-year-old","tag-worry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.desiringgodchurch.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3354","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.desiringgodchurch.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.desiringgodchurch.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.desiringgodchurch.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.desiringgodchurch.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3354"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.desiringgodchurch.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3354\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3358,"href":"https:\/\/www.desiringgodchurch.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3354\/revisions\/3358"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.desiringgodchurch.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3354"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.desiringgodchurch.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3354"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.desiringgodchurch.org\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3354"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}