FAITHFULNESS
IN TRIALS!
Psalm
142
With
my voice I cry out to the LORD;
with
my voice I plead for mercy to the LORD.
I
pour out my complaint before him;
I
tell my trouble before him.
When
my spirit faints within me,
you
know my way!
In
the path where I walk
they
have hidden a trap for me.
Look
to the right and see:
there
is none who takes notice of me;
no
refuge remains to me;
no
one cares for my soul.
I
cry to you, O LORD;
I
say, “You are my refuge,
my
portion in the land of the living.”
Attend
to my cry,
for
I am brought very low!
Deliver
me from my persecutors,
for
they are too strong for me!
Bring
me out of prison,
that
I may give thanks to your name!
The
righteous will surround me,
for
you will deal bountifully with me.
This
psalm was written by David while he was being pursued by King Saul - a period
of time that was certainly very trying for the man who had been anointed by the
prophet Samuel as God’s choice to be Israel’s next king. Certainly, it had to be
a time of great confusion for David. He had served God and his nation
faithfully. He had been put into the situation by God, Himself, since he had
not looked for a position of power or prestige. All he knew now was that he was
being persistently hunted by Saul, and that his life was in great danger. His
prayers were not being responded to quickly, and he had to run to protect himself,
enduring the discomfort of the wilderness.
What
kind of prayers would accompany us, if we faced this same kinds of problems?
Would we become rebellious and frustrated? Would our faith waiver?
David
knows that his only hope is in the LORD. He cries out for mercy and help. His
lament is clear before God - he does not have to pretend his situation is easy.
He can go to God and bare his soul. He is in trouble, he feels that he is
losing his strength, and his spirit is becoming weak. At the same time, he
knows that God is aware of his plight; God is watching and knows that he needs
His help.
David
is aware that there are traps laid out for him. The danger is real; since no
one is offering him a refuge or even noticing his need, all human help is
useless. His only resource for help is God, to whom he desperately cries. He
knows that his survival thus far is because the Lord is his refuge. In God resides
his only protection and hope. David is overwhelmed. He is low and needy.
Yet
David does not lose hope completely, for he asks to be brought out of prison
and looks forward to being able to rejoice in gratitude for God’s deliverance.
He anticipates the day when he will be surrounded with righteous people, after
God provides freedom to him again.
We
read in 1 Samuel how David had an opportunity to kill Saul, but chose not to
take the life of the anointed king of Israel into his own hands:
1
Samuel 24:6
He
said to his men, “The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the LORD's
anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the LORD's anointed.”
David
was enduring an unjust situation, but chose to depend on God and not to sin. We
know that in God’s timing, He did deliver David, and put him on the throne for which
he had been anointed.
When
we go through difficult times, even though they can seem overwhelming and the
outcome looks unpleasant, our resolve needs to be the same as David’s. While we
read this psalm, we have the advantage of already knowing the outcome, but
David didn’t. He had to deal with all the confusion and the hardship of not
seeing a way out, and having to trust the LORD alone for his salvation.
May
we have that same kind of dependence upon God. May we react righteously, even
in our times of greatest desperation, when we find ourselves incapable of dealing
with the situations that face us.
Every
day, we have new opportunities to rely on God and to help others do the same!
May we be found faithful!
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