At times it may be easy to wonder, “Does anybody care?” That’s what David, a man after God’s own heart, was wrestling with in Psalm 142 “when he was in the cave.” That little bit of context is probably a reference to the difficult time in David’s life documented in 1 Samuel 22 when he was being hunted by King Saul and forced to hide in the cave of Adullam. Listen to the ache of his heart:
Look to the right and see:
there is none who takes notice of me;
no refuge remains to me;
no one cares for my soul. (142:4)
That’s what it felt like to David “when he was in the cave.” Today, we might call it David’s “perception.” Based on his immediate situation and limited perspective, this is how it seemed: “No one notices me, I have nowhere to go, and no one cares.” Was that true?
Unpleasant as it may be to acknowledge, that’s what you may be feeling today. “No one notices me, I have nowhere to go, and no one cares for my soul.” But is that true? One of the valuable by-products of worship is the powerful reminder that our perception isn’t always reality. Things may seem and even feel a certain way, but the seeming and feeling doesn’t necessarily make it so. Would you like a window into the reality that began to flicker like a torch for David in that dark cave, leading him to write Psalm 142? It’s the same bright reality shining on this first day of the week.
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (1 Pet 5:6-7)
When our spirits are faint, God knows. When with our voices we cry and plead and pour out our troubles, our Father in heaven hears. When it seems as if we have nowhere to go and no one on whom to lean, the LORD is a faithful refuge and an abundant portion. He cares for you, and so he’s provided another day for us to praise, to give thanks, to cast our burdens upon him, and to be reminded of the reality shining from the empty tomb of his own Son. He cares for you.
It’s also a day we can resolve as his children to make a difference in the life of someone who woke up weary and weighed down. Who do you see? Who do you know that is aching like David did 3,000 years ago? Who might be prone to wonder this week, “Does anyone notice me? Do I have anywhere to go? Does anybody care for my soul?” Perhaps you’ve been given today that you might serve as a living, breathing reminder: God cares, and so do I. The fainthearted, troubled, and heavy-laden are all around us–in our schools, our workplaces, our communities, to the left and right in our church pews. And today is another God-given opportunity to embody the light that flickered in David’s dark cave. By the last verse of Psalm 142, his perspective had started to shift.
Bring me out of prison,
that I may give thanks to your name!
The righteous will surround me,
for you will deal bountifully with me. (142:7)
Why? Because he cares for you. Always has. Always will.
May we surround those who woke up wondering and together give thanks to his name.
Happy Lord’s day.