Psalm 142: 1-4 (Voice) Prayer of David
1
I call out loudly to the Eternal One;
I lift my voice to the Eternal begging for His favor.
2
I let everything that’s going wrong spill out of my mouth;
I spell out all my troubles to Him.
3
When my spirit buckled under the burdens I bear,
You knew my way.
They conspired to trip me up and trap me
on the path where I was walking.
4
Take a look around and see—to the right, to the left—
no one is there who cares for me.
There’s no way out of here;
no one cares about the state of my soul.
David has been running from Saul, who is trying to kill him, and he finds shelter in a cave. He is trapped by life and waiting for the salvation of the Lord. He has time to think about his life and his destiny. He is suffering from the attacks of his enemies, the rejection of his family, the indifference of his friends, and the temporary silence of His Lord. He knows God wants to be his refuge and deliverer; yet, here in this cave David hides in his troubled state. What does he do? He prays. Prayer is David’s weapon and it is ours, as well.
Sometimes we may feel trapped by our circumstances while we are waiting for God to work in our behalf. Even though God is using our difficulties to grow our character, endurance, and our faith; like David, we may feel the darkness has delivered us to a dead end. In his prayer, David is real with God: 1) real in his burdens and 2) real in his desire for blessing. David confesses his physical suffering and his emotional burdens, but he knows God is his answer. Every difficulty, whether physical or emotional, needs an eternal spiritual answer and a supernatural move of God, because every good and perfect gift comes from the God who never changes in his love for his creation (James 1:17). When we feel alone and discouraged, we always have an Advocate in Jesus. So, be real with God in your prayers for help, because no one cares more for your soul than Jesus.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the freedom to call out to my Advocate for relief and blessing. Help me to focus my attention upon you and the answers you alone will bring. In Jesus’ name. Amen.