CRYING TO ONE WHO CARES
Opening Prayer
O my God, I need You. Shine Your light on me.
Read Psalm 142
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
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.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Have you ever been in a cave and turned off your light? Total darkness. Have you ever felt like you live in total darkness?After David’s victory over Goliath, and the people’s praise that followed (1 Sam. 18), David’s life was plunged into total darkness. Saul unleashed his murderous rage and his army on David. To stay alive, David fled to a cave. From this place, David writes this psalm.
There are words of near absolute hopelessness and despair (4). David’s darkness was isolating. But in the darkness David discovered a quiet person (3). He was not alone, and neither is any believer—never alone, no matter the darkness that chokes us. It’s this realization that gives David the strength to pray with renewed hope (5–7), concluding on a note of bril-liantly shining hope in the darkness—the God of Israel is for him, and though the present is full of suffering, God will deal bountifully with him. It is our dark times that prove that faith is not simply a matter of believing things about God, but believing that he has blessing—even in suffering—for those who seek him (Heb. 11:6). What a triumph of perspective and hope… from a cave.
Apply
Are you in a dark place right now? Do you know someone who is? Reach out to a friend and let him or her know how you are feeling. Or maybe you can be that friend and reach out to someone in need.
Closing prayer
The Lord is our best friend. Cry out to him for help—he is waiting! If you are praying for a friend—lift him or her up to the Lord now.
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