“Like a Weaned Child Is My Soul Within Me.”

“Like a Weaned Child Is My Soul Within Me.”

What does it mean that a child is weaned? It means that he will never be put to the breast again! Never again—whether in time or in eternity!! It is something to consider as an example. Never again!

How was the child weaned? Before, when the child cried, he got his will. In time he was weaned by absolutely not being put to the breast anymore even if he cried ever so much. It did not help when he tried to get his will, not a single time! Thus when he realized it was useless, he became quiet.

Our restless soul can be weaned in the same way. Simply let it scream and carry on as often as it wants to. Do not give into it! Do not let it have its will once; then it will become quiet quickly, relatively speaking, just like a weaned child.

In this way, when it has without exception made the bitter experience that all kinds of screaming and wriggling are in vain, it will become still and will soon forget that there is even something that is called screaming until it gets its will.

David sang on a ten-stringed harp on the way to the feast: “Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with his mother . . . .” How great and precious it is to be able to truly say together with David.

Then the soul no longer has any kind of will that it absolutely wants to push through; it has nothing at all to demand or want or complain about in any area at all. How genuinely good and peaceful it has then become!

It is so delightful to contemplate a weaned child! It is just as delightful to contemplate every man and woman—those who are always thankful and content under all of life’s changing circumstances, who have thus been able to silence their soul.

In this way you can (for example) get your stomach to be as still as a weaned child. This sounds difficult, but it is true. It is simply a matter of treating it in the same way. If it screams in vain and behaves badly time after time, it will soon realize that it will not get anything anyway until you decide it should; neither will it receive anything except what you think is profitable for it at any given time. And when you say so much and not any more, it knows from bitter experience that it is pointless to protest in the least, for which reason it wisely remains still.

By being treated in this manner, the stomach has good reason to rejoice that this is the very best for it, and therefore it prospers wonderfully under your good care. It experiences less pain and sickness, easier work, and even a holiday once in a while just as the other members of the body have always had! Glory to God!

Unfortunately, many a person’s belly is like a naughty, screaming child that is far from being weaned. Even if it had stomach ulcers so that it could not tolerate salted meat, bacon, and peas, it would still scream until it got its foolish will, to the detriment of its health, just to have its momentary desires fulfilled. It is possible eat and drink to excess, even knowing that it damages your heart and health generally, and shortens your life, besides being repulsive to both God and man.

Yes, this pampered belly that has become used to getting its will is often obeyed as if it were God.

Paul wept over such brothers “whose god is their belly.” Phil. 3:18-19.

This belly has now, to a large extent and almost without being reproved, caused terrible devastation for many years. It is high time to rein in this scandalous behavior that damages both spirit and body.

May all of us seek and receive the grace we require in order to get our soul to be quiet and still in every possible way.