Content

I have stilled and quietened my soul like a well-fed child.

Psalm 131:2

I have gained a grandson! Here he is after a feed from his mum, peacefully clocked out. It’s a different scenario when he’s hungry! A newborn baby’s cry can reach about 120 decibels, comparable to a police siren. I don’t know if Joel reaches that level but he certainly won’t be ignored.

You can't quieten a hungry baby. You can't quieten a hungry soul. So if your soul isn’t content, might it because it’s actually ravenous for God’s Word, hungry for his presence?

A baby won’t settle, and a baby won’t grow unless it’s fed - regularly. Same for our souls. Once a week at church isn’t enough, any more than a weekly feed would satisfy my grandson. Our souls need daily time in the arms of God.

When people ask me how to pray, I often pass on the best piece of advice I was ever given – we begin at the place of being loved. We begin with the gift of a new beginning, born again as beloved children of God, made new. I was in a prison recently and someone asked me if God could forgive them for a murder. With absolute certainty, I said yes. God makes us as new as a newborn baby.

Secure in the knowledge of being that loved, I don’t need to stuff my soul with rubbish. I can still and quieten it in the arms of God.

Even in the midst of life’s turbulence, our well-fed souls can rest secure. Baby Joel slept through the racket of a London street, even when a motorbike roared by. If all is turbulent for you, take some time to draw on the promises of God’s care for you.

Centuries after the Psalmist, Peter tells us, “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation”. I Peter 2:2

With my love,

Kate

PS If you missed the Facing Cancer with God day, it was an extraordinary morning of talks by different people and you can access it here