A maskil[a] of David, when he was in the cave. A prayer.
142 I cry out loud for help from the Lord.
I beg out loud for mercy from the Lord.
2 I pour out my concerns before God;
I announce my distress to him.
3 When my spirit is weak inside me, you still know my way.
But they’ve hidden a trap for me in the path I’m taking.
4 Look right beside me: See?
No one pays attention to me.
There’s no escape for me.
No one cares about my life.
5 I cry to you, Lord, for help.
“You are my refuge,” I say.
“You are all I have in the land of the living.”
6 Pay close attention to my shouting,
because I’ve been brought down so low!
Deliver me from my oppressors
because they’re stronger than me.
7 Get me out of this prison
so I can give thanks to your name.
Then the righteous will gather all around me
because of your good deeds to me.
Footnotes
a. Psalm 142:1 Perhaps instruction
Reflection
This Psalm is titled “A maskil of David, when he was in the cave. A Prayer”. David was hiding in a cave from King Saul who wanted to kill him because David was a threat to Saul’s position as king. The story is found in 1 Samuel 20. Saul’s son Jonathan and David became best friends. Jonathan found out that Saul wanted to kill David, so Jonathan helped him escape. David had to do whatever he could to stay out of sight of Saul’s army so he hid in a cave until he could move on. David did have Jonathan’s help, but the story goes that Jonathan had to pretend to be out practicing shooting arrows so that he could get a message to David about the danger he was in, but David was alone. He only had God to protect him, so David cried out to God to help him. In the New Living Translation, it says David cried, pleaded, and complained about all of his troubles to the Lord. David told God that God was all he had and that God alone knew the way.
Do we ever feel abandoned by everyone – like we are in a situation by ourselves? Either we did something that we are ashamed of, or we just feel like nobody else understands, or we know we need to step away from a situation because of our own mental health and wellbeing, but it feels like everyone else sees it differently? God is there for us in those moments – Jesus will listen to our needs and show us a way forward. Now, the way forward may mean waiting a bit or maybe in a different direction. I know I’ve been very ready to leave a job that I have really loved but when new leadership came in, it was just not the same and it was not good for me. When I asked for guidance, I was literally given the message to wait a bit. When it was time to leave, I was given that message as well. As I was waiting, I felt comforted by the fact that I was
doing what I felt was God’s will for my life and that there would be a time for the change. It’s not always easy, but David’s example of being led by God is a good one. As Christians, we can have confidence that we can cry, plead, and complain to God. God welcomes that, Jesus welcomes that, and the Holy Spirit is there to direct us. The thing we need to remember is to always go to God, not just when we have nobody else or as a last resort, but always.
by Janet Waryck
For Pondering and Prayer
Thoughts: Has there been a time when you felt abandoned by people? Are you feeling that way right now? Let’s remember to keep God in our daily routine – talk to God about how we are feeling, ask Jesus what he might have done, and let the Spirit guide us. It is not always easy because we don’t always get a response right away, but we need to be looking for that response.
Prayer: All knowing and loving God, help us to always look to you for guidance – with
things that are easy and things that are hard. May you be our first “go to” and not be our
last resort, but may we know that you will be the last one there with us. In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
