Depending On God Alone

OPENING PRAYER:

Mighty God, my light and my salvation, you are my King. Bless the Lord, O my soul…..bless his holy name.

READ: Psalm 142

A maskil of David. When he was in the cave. A prayer.

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. Psalm 142

REFLECT:

When have you felt most alone in life? What difference does it make to know that God is always with you, no matter what?

When David was on the run from Saul, he was never more alone than in the events described in 1 Samuel 21. The next chapter begins with him hiding in the cave of Adullam, then being joined by some of his family and gathering an army around him (1 Samuel 22:1,2). In the depths of his loneliness, he wrote this psalm. He begins by describing how he cried out to God, pleading for mercy (vs 1,2).

Then he addresses God, describing both the extreme loneliness and challenge of his circumstances, as well as his confidence in God’s good care of him (vs 3–5). He has nobody to help him, but he has God. He has no refuge, and yet God is his refuge. So, David asks God to deliver him, so that in the future, his praise will be heard by others (vs 6,7).

It is a blessing to have family or friends who will stand with us in difficult times, but there may be challenges we will have to face all alone. And yet, with God as our refuge, we are never truly alone.

APPLY:

Talk with God about the challenges you are experiencing now, or those you anticipate may be coming in the near future. Ask God to be your refuge and thank him for being with you in every trial.

CLOSING PRAYER:

Ever-present Lord, at times I cry out to you in desperation, as the Psalmist does. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer for deliverance.

WORSHIP:

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