Author Sarah Bogati (Hope Church Sutton).
A maskil of David. When he was in the cave. A prayer.
1 I cry aloud to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy. 2 I pour out before him my complaint; before him I tell my trouble.
3 When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who watch over my way. In the path where I walk people have hidden a snare for me. 4 Look and see, there is no one at my right hand; no one is concerned for me. I have no refuge; no one cares for my life.
5 I cry to you, Lord; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”
6 Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me. 7 Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name. Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me.
This Psalm is a prayer written by David as he was finding refuge in a cave. The very first verse, we get an image of desperation that David, who we know as a true warrior and brave soldier is now hiding from his enemies and is crying out to God for help.
This made me question how many times we turn to our Lord and tell him our troubles. Is God the first person we turn to? How many others do we complain to first before turning to God? Do we moan too much or too easily? Do we turn to God at all? We all react in different ways – what is your first response when difficulties come?
In Verse 3 to 6 David acknowledges his weakness and fear in feeling trapped by his enemies. He is alone with no one to turn to, or to seek help from. It’s so easy in this world for us to feel lost, alone or abandoned. We can learn from David here - in the midst of his trouble he acknowledges that God is the one who watches over him and can help him in this time of need.
This was true for David and it is true for us too. How great is our God, that whatever dark or troubled place we are in, He knows, He cares and He provides a way for us. The Bible is full of promises that tell us God will never leave us (Deuteronomy 31:6), He always protect us (2Thessalonians 3:3) and has a plan and a purpose for us (Jeremiah 29:11). David in the midst of his troubles could have given up but He chose to have faith in his Lord crying out to Him; “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” We too need to trust and have faith that God is with us.
David finishes his prayer by asking God to bring him to freedom so others may hear of God’s goodness to him. This leaves us with a great challenge - do we ask God to hear our prayers for our own benefit or the benefit of others, so that they might know God too? Our Lord is faithful and merciful so let us share of His goodness with others. And, if you are currently going through a tough time, have faith in your Heavenly Father. He knows every thought we have, every situation we face and cares about our every need.
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