Glub! Glub!

My heart is not proud, Lord,

my eyes not haughty;

I do not concern myself with great matters

or things too wonderful for me.

But I have calmed and quieted myself,

I am like a weaned child with it's mother;

like a weaned child, I am content.

(Psalm 131:3)

To be calm in the midst of the storm. Think about the disciples in Mark 3, when Jesus was sound asleep in the midst of what was to them, a terrifying storm. Jesus was calm, in fact he was asleep. Not too many people could sleep on a boat in the middle of a storm. My two older nieces up until recently have been historically afraid to swim without having someone nearby. If they were scared or not holding on to me, or whomever was in the water with them, they would say "Glub, Glub!" It's kind of cute when you consider it was their way of announcing that they were getting scared, however, sobering to realize that they were indeed scared of drowning. They needed a strong arm to hold them up and reassure them that they were safe. The psalmist, David, was a man after God's own heart, and he faced many storms in his lifetime - many which were the result of his own sin. In Psalm 131, David is essentially saying that now, he is calm in the midst of a storm. Why? Perhaps because it would do him no good to worry and fret over things he cannot control. Maybe he has learned his lesson. Remaining calm and keeping our focus on God is something we all should do in the midst of a storm. If we spend all our time focusing on the storm around us and not the storm walker, we will fall, much like Peter did when he tried to walk on water. We are dangerously close to drowning when we focus on our circumstances and our past. Nothing good comes from focusing on them, and yet, we all do it at some time in our lives. David was not only calm in the midst of the storm, but he is content. To be content, is to be satisfied. David was satisfied in knowing everything was under God's control and in His hands. He had great hope in the Lord, and he desired for Israel, to have that very same hope not only in the midst of a storm, but always. When the waves rise up against you and the water of uncertainty threatens to swallow you whole, and you are yelling, Glub! Glub! Remember to keep your focus on Christ. His strong arm supports you, his hand guides you and reassures you that in his arms, you are safe.