Psalm 142:1-7
Life in a Cave

A contemplation by David, when he was in the cave. A Prayer.

I cry with my voice to Yahweh.
      With my voice, I ask Yahweh for mercy.
I pour out my complaint before him.
      I tell him my troubles.
When my spirit was overwhelmed within me,
      you knew my path.
In the way in which I walk,
      they have hidden a snare for me.
Look on my right, and see;
      for there is no one who is concerned for me.
Refuge has fled from me.
      No one cares for my soul.
I cried to you, Yahweh.
      I said, "You are my refuge,
      my portion in the land of the living."
Listen to my cry,
      for I am in desperate need.
deliver me from my persecutors,
      For they are stronger than me.
Bring my soul out of prison,
      that I may give thanks to your name.
The righteous will surround me,
      for you will be good to me.

World English Bible

The introductory remarks for this Psalm reference the time when David had to run for his life from King Saul's jealous anger. After having lived in the palace of the king as a member of the "inner circle", David now found himself alone, afraid, and with no residence. In that painful time, he called out to God for help, and we have that prayer recorded in this passage.

At the same time, David was familiar with life in the wilderness. Before he won the fight with Goliath and before he became the king's personal musician, David had been a shepherd, living in the hills and plains for many weeks at a time taking care of his family's herd of sheep. He knew how to find food and water for himself, he knew how to navigate difficult terrain, and he knew how to select a safe cave for shelter. Of course when David was a shepherd, he didn't have to concern himself with capture by the king's guards, but David likely knew the wilderness better than those who would have been searching for him.

I bring up this point to show that David chose how he would respond to his circumstances. He was trained and experienced in cave dwelling. He could have trusted in his formidable skills to save him in this difficult circumstance--but still he called out to God. I certainly don't think that David became "soft" living in the palace, too accustomed to the "good life" to go back to his earlier ways. He consciously sought God as his first and best option in his troubled time, and he poured out his grieving heart to God.

Other times that I have read this psalm's introduction, I have voiced my thanks that I have not been in such serious trouble as that. But to react in that way to this message is to overlook the depth of David's faith expressed in this psalm. David didn't wait until he had exhausted his options before he asked for God's help. In the same way, we should voice our needs and our troubles to God first, even if we think we can cope with our circumstances.

Maybe living in a "cave" wasn't all that bad after all. It certainly wouldn't have been David's first choice for a residence, but workable under the circumstances. Maybe we are living the same way now--in situations that we have learned to tolerate and manage. Maybe we'd rather make the best of the situation than to allow God to work. Maybe we are so familiar with our caves that we are resistant and fearful of something different. Could we think we're "saving up" our prayers for truly desperate times?

Rather than weighing the relative benefits of "cave" living, we should be asking ourselves where God's Love and Mercy would have us live. Our focus and our prayers need to be around what God has in mind for us, rather than what we consider acceptable and appropriate. Our motivation for prayer will mature from a reaction to our circumstances to a hunger for what God intends. Too often, it takes a dissatisfaction with my "cave" situation to push me into a closer reliance on God, but mature Christians recognize that we can never have enough reliance on God. In that way, we all are living in caves like David, urgently needing God's intervention, but most of us fail to recognize it.