Psalm 142:1-5 I cried unto the Lord with my voice; with my voice unto the Lord did I make my supplication.2 I poured out my complaint before him; I shewed before him my trouble.3 When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me.4 I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul.5 I cried unto thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living.
There are times in our lives when we feel the same as David did here in Psalm 142, he was hiding out in a cave at the time, no doubt wondering what he did to deserve the anger of king Saul. He looked for someone to help him, it seems as though all men had forsaken him, whether literally or it was just what he felt was his lot. There was no place for him to go, refuge, or safety had failed him and no one cared for his soul. He was in a place of desperation.
David did the best thing he could do at the time, cry out to the Lord. He says that he laid out his complaint before God. He told God all about his situation, knowing that God already knew what was happening. From the darkness of a cave and no doubt a dark time in his life, he was honest before God. He cried out to God and then came to the realization that the Lord was his place of refuge, a place of safety and comfort.
When we come to a time of desperation in our lives we need to follow David’s example, cry out to the Lord! People will forsake us and let us down, there will be no one that cares. That is when we need to come clean with the Lord, pour out our complaints to Him. He knows what we are going through, but He is not hiding from us. We must be willing to be truthful with the Lord, tell him how we feel.
Too often when we are in a dark place, we tend not to communicate with God. We feel as though we have done something wrong or if we are honest we somehow are bringing accusations against God. David poured out his COMPLAINT to the Lord. We should not feel as though we can’t be honest before the Lord. He knows how we feel already. When we are willing, to be honest before Him, the realization of His care and comfort will fill our hearts. We will understand that He is our refuge also.
If life gets hard today, be honest, and cry out to the Lord. He will always be our refuge.