Hiding in a Cave - part 1
When I was kid, I thought caves were interesting to study. I didn’t care much for school when I was young, and was pretty much checked out through the sixth grade. I don’t remember studying for very many tests – especially in elementary school – but I vividly remember preparing for a test on caves. The test was somewhere around the fourth grade (no, I don’t do dates very well), and for whatever reason I was interested in caves. Maybe because I often felt as if life would be easier if I lived in one. Decades later, I still remember that stalactites form along a cave’s ceiling and hang downward. And stalagmites form on the floor and point upward.
In the Ancient Near East, caves provided people with shelter from the weather as well as protection from wild animals and bloodthirsty enemies. Caves were also a perfect hiding place for bandits who waited along well-travelled paths to plunder any passerby who happened to come their way.
Caves appear often in the Bible. There are multiple occasions in Scripture in which they were used as a place of shelter. In David’s case, caves were used to provide protection from his enemies. In fact, we see David hiding in a cave in both 1 Samuel 22 and 24. One of the wonderful insights the book of Psalms provides is the opportunity to read what a few Bible characters were thinking during specific events.
Psalm 142 is a wonderful example of a text that informs the reader of how David was thinking when facing a trial. As the heading indicates, the psalm was written by David during either the events of 1 Samuel 22 or 24. Regardless of which chapter records the historical setting for the psalm, both chapters present very similar circumstances. In both cases, David was hiding in a cave trying to preserve his own life from those who were seeking his life.
Most of us are not hiding in a physical cave, but we may very well be trapped in a spiritual or emotional cave carefully constructed by our fears, insecurities, and false assumptions. I have explored caves just for the sheer fun of it. But I have never been forced to hide in one in order to preserve my life from a wild animal or someone who wanted me wiped off the face of the planet. I have, however, hidden many times inside a cave that I constructed around my heart for the purpose of personal protection from those who I believed wanted to cause me spiritual or emotional harm.
Perhaps you have done the same. Are you tired yet of hiding in your emotional or spiritual cave? If so, allow me to share three restorative activities David practiced in Psalm 142 while trying to stay alive. You can implement these same activities while trying to escape the self-protective cave you have built around your life.
In this month’s article, I will only discuss the first activity we see in David’s psalm. We will address the other two in subsequent articles.
When we read the opening two verses of Psalm 142, we find David pouring his heart out to God. Once again, the psalm’s heading helps us understand the text. We are told it’s a prayer. But David’s words reveal for us what kind of prayer. This particular psalm is a heartfelt prayer. We are told that David is crying out to the Lord; this is not a halfhearted, muted, or dishonest prayer. When people cry out (think with me of a newborn baby), they are letting everyone between where I live in southeastern North Carolina and the Mississippi River that they are upset about something. When a baby cries out, you know how they feel. But you may not know why he or she is crying. All you know for certain is that something is upsetting the child.
In a sense, David’s words are an act of worship. Prayer in and of itself in an act of worship. And in this prayer, David is acknowledging God’s willingness to listen and His power to take effective action.
We cannot overlook the fact that this prayer is one of lament. David’s lamenting (i.e., complaining) was to God alone; in other words he didn’t complain about God or question His goodness to others. He brought his pain, misery, trouble, and fear to the Lord. And he did so in the form of a complaint.
Clearly, our sovereign God already knows our hearts before we speak a word. Nonetheless, it would seem to me that our heavenly Father welcomes His children to share our deepest thoughts and anxieties with Him. Our outward expression and acknowledgment of our internal struggles draws our hearts toward the Father – the only One who can provide the help and comfort we are seeking. Life has a way of getting under our skin. Unfortunately, most Christians regularly bite their lips and pretend everything is alright.
Before we leave these first two verses, I want to reiterate an important truth: our theology affects how we pray.
Honestly answer the following three questions.
1. Do you believe God listens when you cry out to Him?
David came to the Lord boldly because his hope and confidence was in Him. He fully believed God would hear his prayer and answer according to what was most spiritually beneficial. Remember, Psalm 142 is not an encouragement to have a complaining heart toward God or others. As the Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 2:14, believers are to “Do all things without grumbling.” But it is encouraging us to cry out to our Creator in times of need.
This fallen world doesn’t promise its citizens very much. But living in a sinful world does guarantee that there will always be something to complain about. David’s life was not problem free. Instead of running from God, however, he ran to Him when life was hard. Because David knew that God would hear his prayer, he poured out his heart before Him.
Yes, there is always something to complain about because we live in a sinful world. Making matters even worse, we all have a complaining heart. As followers of Christ, however, we must never allow our complaining hearts to dominate our lives and produce a complaining spirit. Nevertheless, your Heavenly Father invites you to bring your complaints and troubles before His throne of grace.
2. Do you believe God cares about you and your troubles?
When I was in high school, there was another boy who didn’t care for me very much. While I won ‘Best Personality’ and ‘Nicest to Know” for senior superlatives, I’m guessing he didn’t vote for me. Since I have no recollection of being in high school with someone named Larry, let’s call him by that name. Larry had it out for me. Truth be known, I am pretty confident that I gave Larry reason to dislike me. Irrespective of why he didn’t care about me, there was no way I was going to approach Larry with a problem.
Imagine me walking up to Larry in the hallway after lunch with tears in my eyes and a furrowed brow – clearly distressed over something painful – and pouring out my soul to him. Now you don’t know Larry. But I did. If I started sharing my problems with him, he would have either made fun of me or simply walked away. Truth is, I never would have gone to Larry about anything in my life. Why? Because I knew he didn’t care one ounce about me or my problems.
If you do not believe God cares about you, you will never bring your complaints and troubles to Him. During the times in life when we are hurting or scared or confused, we seek out those we know care. If you are refusing to seek the Lord during troubling times it may be because of a very simple truth: your theology is telling you that God simply does not care about you or your problems.
3. Do you believe God has the power to act?
There are difficult seasons in life when it feels like all we can do is take the next breath. At times, it seems like there is a weight on our chest that is too heavy to bear. Life sometimes feels as if we are attempting to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a paddle boat. The tide is against us. The waves are beating us down. And the current is steering us off course no matter how hard we paddle. This leaves us feeling like there is no reason to keep pressing forward (to even take our next breath). Life can beat us up pretty quickly, and leave us feeling like we are living in a prison (see verse 7).
One of the most essential attributes of an effective leader is the ability to know what he or she does not know. In other words, we all need help sometimes because we don’t know everything there is to know about anything. I have always tried to lead with at least three basic guiding principles: 1) know your limitations; 2) know you can’t lead alone; and 3) know who to ask for help when needed.
While all three keep a leader from destruction, number three is of great importance. Of course, no one asks for help when they don’t believe they need it. Knowing you need help is only the first step, but it is a very important one. Arguably, the next most important step is to know who has the necessary skills to assist you in resolving the particular problem you are facing.
Through the years, I have accumulated a long list of people who I can call upon when I need assistance. All of them have a particular skill set. I will tell you a little secret. If there is someone on my list who I do not believe can help me, I never call them in my most desperate times. Let me say it this way. I never call upon people who I do not believe possess the skills, knowledge, power, or authority to do anything about my problem.
My friend, if you do not believe the Creator of this universe possesses the skill, knowledge, power, and authority to sustain you, change you, protect you, or deliver you from your trouble, you will never cry out to the Lord and share your complaints and troubles.
Psalm 142 ends with a magnificent statement. It says, “You will deal bountifully with me.” David believed this truth to the point that he was willing to open his heart before the Lord. How about you? Do you believe God listens to your cries? Do you believe He cares about your life? Do you believe God has the power to act on your behalf?
Recently, I found myself at the end of myself. I was facing a challenge I couldn’t resolve, and I felt a little overwhelmed. I brought the situation to the Lord’s attention (obviously He was well aware of the problem before I said a word), and complained quite a lot about the trial. I fully trusted that the Lord was listening, that He cared, and that He would act by doing what was best. While I am unable to share the specifics of this difficult time, I will tell you that God answered my prayers in ways I never imagined. And He brought it to a solution I could never have produced in my own strength. God truly dealt bountifully with me, and He will with you as well.