The darkness shall never overtake me, but there is little light in my life.”
–D.C. Adkisson (Return From Tincup)
“Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.”
–1 Peter 5:7 (Amplified)
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One of my favorite hymns is “Never Alone.” God has promised that He would never leave us alone. That takes us to Psalm 142, written by David when he was hiding in a cave. George Wood states, “The kind of cave you’re in often determines the tone of the prayer you pray.” David was in depression, deep anxiety and utterly desperate. Was God even there? Know this–we are never isolated from God! Let’s look at David’s experience while at the cave of Adullam.
1 — I cry out to the LORD with my voice; with my voice to the LORD I make my supplication.
2 — I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare before Him my trouble.
3 — When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then You knew my path. In the way in which I walk they have secretly set a snare for me.
4 — Look on my right hand and see, for there is no one who acknowledges me; refuge has failed me; no one cares for my soul.
5 — I cried out to You, O LORD; I said, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.
6 — Attend to my cry, for I am brought very low; deliver me from my persecutors, for they are stronger than I.
7 — Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise Your name; the righteous shall surround me, for You shall deal bountifully with me.” (NKJV)
David, with his crushed soul, is crying out to God for help. By himself, chased, distressed, David cries out. He cries out to the all-powerful, self-sufficient One who alone can help him. The isolation of the cave, maybe with intense darkness, David declares that he is in dire need of intervention from the Lord. He was trapped in darkness, if he leaves the darkness of the cave, his enemies are waiting for him. What a quandary!
In the darkness of life’s episodes we can’t see, but God can. In the midst of trials when the weight is overwhelming God is there and knows our situation. Know this friend, God knows the path you are on, He knows the plight you are in, and in fact He is the director of your way. David does realize that God knows his path but then falls back into despair–woe is me, no one cares for my soul. Which one wins out? Does despair overtake you, or do you see the hand of God?
David is in a weakened state, physically, mentally, and spiritually. He knows his current weakness, but he also knows that God is there–God will surround him, give him comfort and bring him out. God knows our weakness and is there to lift us up in whatever kind of cave we may find ourselves. Notice that David ends this psalm with a declaration of faith. Even in times of utter darkness, he finds an inner light to help him–faith is that light. Sometimes God allows new troubles to come our way so that we can throw ourselves on God in new, desperate ways. There is a song that says, “I’m desperate for You.” I have often wondered if we really are desperate for God. What would happen if God would put us in a desperate situation? Would we lose hope and become bitter and give up in defeat? Or would we look up to God? Steven Lawson says that “Desperate times produce desperate prayers.” In desperate times it is imperative that we keep our mind focused on the Lord.
“There may be days of darkness and distress,
When sin has power to tempt, and care to press;
Yet in the darkest day I will not fear,
For ‘mid the shadows, Thou wilt still be near.”
–Henry Leigh