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I greet you in the blessed name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our text for today's message is Psalm 142.
There are few things in life that are worse than to be in trouble, but there is something worse than just being in trouble, and that is to be entirely alone when one is in trouble. What is truly strange is that when things go wrong for us, when we are in serious trouble, we almost always will go through it all by ourselves. As the saying goes, "Laugh, and the world laughs with you; weep, and you weep alone." Most people would agree with this statement, but for us Christians, we know that it is not true because although others may desert us in our troubles, we have a wonderful friend in Jesus who will never forget, neither will He forsake us. He knows everything about us completely. He understands what we are going through, and He will support us to go through it.
In Psalm 142, David was all alone and in trouble. This Psalm begins with the words, "Maskill of David." A maskill is a teaching or instruction. Since this Psalm is about his prayer when he was in the cave, we can call it David's instruction about prayers. We need to understand the background of this Psalm to help us to know something about David's situation.
You see, David had killed Goliath, the Philistine warrior, and he became a hero of the Israelites. David entered into the military service of King Saul, and he was so popular that the women were singing in the streets, "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands." Because of that, King Saul was extremely jealous. Soon, David had to escape from King Saul and fled into the wilderness. He had nothing, no followers, and no place to turn to. King Ahimelech, the priest, gave him food and also gave him the weapon which Goliath had once used. Later on, when King Saul heard about that, he killed Ahimelech. That was how jealous he was of David. David then went to Gath, the Philistine city. He tried to disguise himself and pretended to be insane, but he was exposed. Eventually, he had to escape into the wilderness again and hide in the cave of Adullam. You can imagine how desperate, disheartened, and humiliated he was, all alone in the cave. It was one of the worst moments of David's life.
That is a brief background of Psalm 142. I don't think any one of us here has experienced being in a physical cave and someone out to kill us, but I believe that we have all experienced some of the most depressing moments of our lives, when we feel as if we are all alone. We are discouraged, disappointed, afraid, disheartened, and in despair. It is as if we are in a cave, right? Let us learn from the Psalmist David what he did when he was in the cave.
The title of our message is "A Prayer in the Cave." Our first point is David's desperation before God. Let us begin with verses 1 and 2:
"I cried unto the Lord with my voice; with my voice unto the Lord did I make my supplication. I poured out my complaint before him; I showed before him my trouble."
David was a great man of faith, a great man of God, but that did not mean he did not go through dark times. Just because someone is right with God does not mean that everything is always happy in life. When people are depressed, their immediate reaction is to get out of the situation; some may even resort to extreme measures like ending their own lives. It is so sad; it is not right. But for David, his immediate response was to pray.
My friends, when you are depressed, please do not hide yourself in isolation and wallow in self-pity and misery and not talk to anyone. While it is true that we may not always find the right person to talk to, even if we are able to find the right person to talk to, that person will not be able to deliver us out of our troubles. Only God alone is able to help us, so we need to pray and speak to Him. Here, David was pouring out his desperation before God.
The way these two verses were written, it is in a parallel sense. In other words, each of the lines essentially means the same thing. For example, "I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and with my voice unto the Lord did I make my supplication" — they are the same, just as "I poured out my complaint before Him, and I showed before Him my trouble" — they are the same. This repetition was meant to emphasize the intensity of his prayer.
Verse 2 tells us, "I poured out my complaint before Him." Whenever we see the word "complaint," we always think of it in a negative way, like murmuring or complaining. There is a difference when we complain to God and when we complain about God. It is one thing when we go to God with our complaints, as in telling Him all our problems, our troubles. It is another thing altogether when we blame God for our problems. That we must never do.
Notice, David was not only praying in his heart silently, but outwardly, verbally, and loudly. It does not mean that God does not hear silent prayers; God does not need the tongue to interpret what is in our hearts. Remember, He has given to us the indwelling Holy Spirit, who is able to intercede for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Here, David was crying out to God openly, honestly, in words. He was not covering up anything; he was not hiding anything. He was simply pouring his heart out and telling God exactly what was troubling him.
How many of us have prayed like that? Most of the time, our prayers are quite regular, as in we pray before we eat, we pray when we read the Bible or in church. Perhaps only in prayer meetings do we pray outwardly. Even then, we do not cry out like the way David did. What does it take for our prayers to change from a mere routine to actually pleading with God in tears? What do you think it will take? Trouble. It takes trouble for us to cry out to God. The deeper the trouble, the greater the cry would be.
And it is not as if God does not know what we are going through and what is in our hearts. God is omniscient; He is all-knowing. Charles Spurgeon said, "We do not show our trouble before God so that He may see it; we show our trouble before God so that we may see Him. It is for our relief, it is for our benefit, not for His information, that we make plain statements concerning our struggles." Indeed, our God knows what we are going through. It is for us; it is for our benefit that we make plain what we are going through, telling Him exactly what we are feeling.
Our second point is David's dependence upon God, and it is based on verses 3 and 4. But firstly, let us see how David articulated his present situation to God. Look at the second part of verse 3:
"In the way wherein I walk have they privily”—which means secretively—”laid a snare for me."
The word "snare" means a trap. It is like a bird trap laid on the ground that hunters would use to trap and kill the birds. David had real enemies; they were trying to kill him. He knew that King Saul and his soldiers were hunting for him. In a literal sense, there were traps everywhere. If he was not careful, he would walk into one of those traps.
Verse 4 says, "I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me." In those days, honored guests would be seated on the right hand. Soldiers with high authority would be given positions on the right hand. Normally, a person would have his friends on the right hand, waiting to help him. For David, his enemies were right in front of him; they were behind him, they were on his left, but when he turned to the right hand, there was no friend there. He was all alone in the cave.
Do you think David really believed that he was all alone? Most certainly not. How do we know? If you can turn with me to Psalm 16:8, it was believed that Psalm 16 was written before Psalm 142. This is what David said in Psalm 16:8:
"I have set the Lord always before me: because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved."
Who was on his right hand? The Lord Himself. In other words, David was saying, "I have no friends here in the cave; I'm all alone. But Lord, I know you are always with me at my right hand, even though nobody is there to help me. And if you do not help me, then who else is there to help me?" We praise and thank God for our loved ones, parents, children, and good friends. It is a great blessing to have someone to support us when we need help. But one day, we may need to go through our deepest trouble, that even the closest people to us may forget and forsake us. Even if they want to, they cannot be with us for whatever reasons.
Like David, we look to our right hand; there was no friend there. We'll be standing all alone, but for us believers, we know that it is impossible because there's always this invisible friend standing at the right hand, and He's none other than our Lord Jesus Christ, who will never forget, neither will He forsake us. We must remember that David said, "Ref
uge failed me." Even the cave was not a safe refuge. How long could he hide in the cave without his enemies finding him? "No man cared for my soul." So, in such times like this, no one can, whether he was alive or dead.
Remember those people who praised him when he killed Goliath? Those women who were singing in the streets, "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands"—where were they? Was anyone looking out for him? No, not one. You can imagine how David would have felt with his enemies hunting for him, with traps all around him, with no friend standing at his right hand, with no safe refuge, and no one really cared for his soul. That was the reason why David cried out at the beginning of verse 3:
"When my spirit was overwhelmed within me."
Which means, "My spirit is fainting inside me." It's like saying, "My spirit is dying inside me. Outwardly I look strong, but inwardly I'm like fainting."
Take a moment and consider this: When we have people against us, always looking for our weaknesses to gossip about us, to challenge and affect us; when the closest people to us, our children, cannot be there to help and support us in times when we need them the most; when we are in financial difficulties, not able to pay our bills; even the house we live in is not a safe refuge because it can be taken away at any time; when we are lying on our deathbeds, no one really cares whether we are alive or dead—how will we feel? Our spirit will be fainting within us. Outwardly we may tell our children, "Don't worry, Mommy and Daddy are all right," but inside we are fainting. The only one we can depend on, the only one who can deliver us from our depression, is God. No one else but God alone.
Therefore David cried out to God, "Thou knewest my path." In other words, "God, you know my way. You know how I've lived my life, how I desire to live in the path of righteousness. But now it is impossible because I'm so weak, I'm dying inside, I'm fainting. Please deliver me, save me, lift me up so that I can continue to walk in the path of righteousness." This is something very important for us to understand.
Why would God want to deliver us from our afflictions? For what purpose? Whatever it may be—sicknesses, struggles, depression, troubles—so that we may continue to walk on the sinful and unrighteous path? God forbid! Let's say someone is not worshiping the Lord; he or she does not care about spiritual things—nothing about the church, nothing about the glory of God, not serving God, doesn't care anything about missions, gospel sharing in any way. But rather, he's living a life just enjoying the pleasures of this world. He is so self-centered, only cares about himself, his children, his family, and nothing else. Basically, he's living a life that has no concerns about God nor His glory, it is not the path of righteousness.
Do you think he will be able to pray such a prayer like David? "Lord, my spirit is fainting within me. I’m so weak, I’m dying. Please save me. Deliver me. Lift me up because you know how I’ve lived my life, so I can continue to live my life as such." Surely he cannot pray such a prayer because of the way he has lived his life. My friends, the only reason why the Lord is ready to help us is because we are walking in the path of righteousness, and He wants us to continue to walk in the path of righteousness. Even if He does not take away the trouble, we may have to live through the trouble, but He will give us the strength to go through the trouble, all for His glory. We must always bear that in mind.
Our final point is David's delight in God. Let us look at verse five: "I cried unto thee, O Lord. I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living." A refuge is like a shelter or a fortress to protect us, like in times of storm. It is something that will protect the people, but why do we run to this refuge and not any other refuge? The reason is that this refuge is infinitely strong and mighty. This is the only refuge that can protect us. There’s nothing in the entire universe that can be a comparative refuge to God Himself. God is our refuge.
The word "portion" means possession. David was supposed to be the next king of Israel to take over from King Saul, but it appeared as if that portion as the rightful king was taken away from him. His portion was supposed to be in the palace, not in the cave, all alone by himself. Yet David prayed and said, "O Lord, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living." The land of the living basically means this Earth. In a sense, David was saying, "O Lord, as long as I’m living on this Earth, You alone are my refuge, my protector. You alone are my possession. I may lose everything, including my kingship, but because I have You as my God, it is all I need."
This is what you and I ought to pray as well. We may lose everything—our money, our houses, our children, our health, even our lives—but if we have God as our refuge and portion, that is all that matters. That is all we need. Since God is his refuge and portion, David said in verse six, "Attend unto my cry, for I am brought low," which means I’m in great need. Why? Because of the persecutors. "Deliver me from my persecutors, for they are stronger than I."
Verse seven: "Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise Thy name. The righteous shall compass about, for Thou shalt deal bountifully with me." Most likely, David was referring to himself in a cave like a prisoner, and so he was pleading with God to deliver him out of this predicament. And again, for what purpose? So that I may praise Thy name. So that I may be surrounded with all the other righteous, the believers. Can you see that our prayers must always have a purpose, and the purpose has to do with the glory of God?
Let us sincerely ask ourselves these questions this morning. If we are diagnosed with terminal cancer, why do we desire to be healed? If we are in a precarious situation where our life is in great danger, why do we desire to be rescued? If we take care of the body, eat well, sleep well, take vitamins, and work out regularly, why do we desire to extend our life? For what purpose? Our motivation must always be this: "Lord, protect me, preserve me, and deliver me so that I may praise Your name. So that I may be together with all the other believers to serve and glorify You." That must be our reason when we pray. We must always pray with a purpose, and the purpose must always have to do with God's glory.
David was so sure that God would answer his prayers that he said, "For Thou shalt deal bountifully with me." Did God answer his prayers? Most certainly. Later on, God provided his brothers and other men to join him. All together, there were 400 faithful fighting men, and God finally delivered him out of the cave. David went on to become the greatest king of Israel.
My friends, have you ever felt hopeless? Have you ever felt that you are so overwhelmed by your troubles that you wish you had wings to fly away from all your troubles, to fly away from all your worries, to leave everything behind—all the things that cause you grief and pain? Like the way we travel on an airplane. You know, we sit on an airplane, the airplane takes off, and then we start to see the city that we have left behind becoming smaller and smaller, to the point that when we are high up in the sky, we cannot even see that city. All the problems that exist below in that city, we know that they are still there, but they no longer have the same impact on us because we have been lifted up into the skies. That was how David felt when he wrote Psalm 142. Initially, he was struggling in the cave, crying out to God in desperation, going through all the pain and grief. But as he poured out his complaints and troubles to God, you notice that it was as if he was lifted up. He was lifted up so much that the troubles became smaller and smaller so that he was able to end on a victorious note, and he said, "For Thou shalt deal bountifully with me."
The enemies might still be outside, but his spirit was already strengthened and lifted up. My friends, that is what prayers will do to us. As we pray, the Lord will lift up our spirits, and as we are lifted up, as we are being strengthened, that is when our problems will become smaller and smaller. Whatever be those problems—cancer, COVID-19, financial struggles, oppositions, persecutions—whatever they may be, they will no longer bother us as they used to because, as we pray, we will be lifted up and we will be strengthened.
This is what the prayer in the cave is all about: from a desperation before God, to a dependence upon God, and finally, to a delight in God. If we really understand what prayers can do to us, then should we not pray? We ought to always pray without ceasing. I pray that all of us will remember: we don’t have to wallow in self-pity and misery or in isolation, even if there’s no one we can turn to, no one to counsel and advise us. But there’s always an invisible friend who is standing at our right hand—our Lord Jesus. He will never forget, neither will He forsake us.
Let us pray.
Our Father in heaven, we thank Thee for this Psalm and how Thou hast taught us we ought to pray. Indeed, we have experienced some of the most depressing situations in our lives. Some of us may be struggling quietly; others may be in great pain. Our immediate response is always to get out of the situation, but we ought to learn from the psalmist David that we ought to pause and pray because we have a friend who is always on our right hand, listening to us, interceding for us. He will never forget, neither will He forsake us. Whatever be our troubles, afflictions, pains, grief, whatever be our struggles, we bring our complaints to Him. We bring our troubles before Thee, and Thou who hears will answer us. We know that as we pray, our problems may still be there, but they will not bother us as they used to because we will be lifted up, we will be strengthened in our spirit. So teach us to pray this we ask of Thee in Jesus' name. Amen.