Reflections on Psalms 142

 Psalms 142(Contemporary English Version)

1. (A special psalm and a prayer by David when he was in the cave.) I pray to you, LORD. I beg for mercy.
   
2. I tell you all of my worries and my troubles,
   
3. and whenever I feel low, you are there to guide me. A trap has been hidden along my pathway.
   
4. Even if you look, you won't see anyone who cares enough to walk beside me. There is no place to hide, and no one who really cares.
   
5. I pray to you, LORD! You are my place of safety, and you are my choice in the land of the living. Please answer my prayer. I am completely helpless.
   
6. Help! They are chasing me, and they are too strong.
   
7. Rescue me from this prison, so I can praise your name. And when your people notice your wonderful kindness to me, they will rush to my side.

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This psalm and prayer of David dates back to before he was king and king Saul was pursuing him in an attempt to kill him. He was forced to hide in a cave. He was pursued by his enemies and deserted by his friends. Everywhere he went he was in danger of someone seeing him and reporting it to Saul. His situation seemed hopeless. In overwhelming situations such as these we are prone to metaphorically roll up into a ball and ask ourselves over and over, "what am I to do, what am I to do?"

The sense of this psalm seems to indicate that David was at that point. But he didn't roll into a ball and wonder what he was to do. Instead, he went to the Lord in prayer. To the one who has not experienced prayer in such situations, this might seem to be a futile exercise and a waste of time. But the one who has experienced it realizes the calm and peace it gives. David poured out his complaint to the Lord, revealing his trouble. Everywhere he traveled, traps were set for him, and when he looked to his right where his defender should be, no one was there. He was alone and on his own. "No one cares about me," he said. (142:4)
Having poured out his troubles to the Lord, David then told the Lord, "You are my shelter, my portion in the land of the living." (142:5) David's answer to the question, "what am I do to," was "I will give it to the Lord." And so he did. The burden was then taken from himself and handed to the Lord. He was no longer trying to find his way out of the troubles but giving it to the Lord and allowing Him to free him from them. "Free me from prison," he said to the Lord. (142:7)

When we finally come to the point of admitting to ourselves and to the Lord that we can do nothing about our situation, we have no control over our circumstances, the Lord can finally set a solution into motion. He just needs us to quit trying to do it ourselves and give it to Him. And the act of giving it to the Lord is such a freeing experience. And in the end, we are not the only ones to be helped. David said in verse 7 that once he is set free from this "prison" of trouble he will give praise to the Lord, and "The righteous will gather around me because You deal generously with me."

Yes, others will celebrate the victory with us when the Lord frees us from our troubles, but among those who celebrate with us will be those who also have troubles and are encouraged to trust the Lord with those troubles.