MELVIN NEWLAND, MINISTER
RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK
(REVISED: 2017)
(Powerpoints used with this message are available at no charge. Just e-mail me at mnewland@sstelco.com with your request - #215.)
(This is a sermon adapted from one I read years ago. I would be happy to credit the original author if I knew who. Can anyone help me?)
TEXT: Psalms 142:1-7
Listen as I read Psalm 142, a psalm that was written by David 3,000 years ago.
"I cry aloud to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy. I pour out my complaint before Him; before Him I tell my trouble.
"When my spirit grows faint within me, it is You who know my way. In the path where I walk men have hidden a snare for me. Look to my right & see; no one is concerned for me. I have no refuge; no one cares for my soul (NASV).
"I cry to you, O Lord; I say, 'You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.' Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me.
"Set me free from my prison, that I may praise Your name. Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me."
It was cold & damp in the cave. Moisture was collecting on the roof & dropping to the hard, cold floor with a "splat." David pulled his cloak tightly around his shoulders & shivered. He had not come prepared for the dampness.
"I could stand the dampness, though," he thought, "if I just had some food." Hunger pangs were gnawing at his stomach.
David was hiding. Jonathan's signal with the arrows had told him what he had feared that King Saul was trying to kill him. Then had followed his mad dash to find a place of safety.
And now David was hiding in a cave. "Splat, splat," fell the drops. There was no way to start a fire. He had no food. He was cold, wet, & hungry.
But the greatest cold was not in his body; it was in his soul. And the greatest hunger gnawing at him was not hunger for food; it was hunger for understanding, for companionship, for love.
David could stand the dampness, the cold, the discomfort. Others had & he could, too. He had been uncomfortable & in danger before on the field of battle. But then he had been surrounded by others who were fighting for the same cause.
But now he was alone. He could stand the discomfort. He could not stand the loneliness.
Those of us who have never had to flee for our lives don't really under¬stand how David felt. He had done nothing to King Saul. His only crime was doing his best & trusting in God.
The people had shouted: "Saul has killed his thousands, & David his tens of thousands" (1 Samuel 18:7). And Saul's jealousy became a murderous rage!
A hunted animal. That's what he was. Not even Jonathan could come to him for that would betray his hiding place. He was alone without family, with¬out friends all alone.
And no one seemed to care. No one but God.
Then, in that cold, dark, damp cave, David began to sing. He did not have his harp with him, but his voice, soft as the wind & charged with emo¬tion, filled the cave.
He had often sung to his sheep or to King Saul. Now he sang of his lone¬liness, & of his faith. He sang of his feeling of being forsaken, & how only God was with him.
The song that David sang in the cave of Adullam has been preserved for us today. No doubt his feelings, his emotion was so strong that David never forgot it, & later wrote it down. In our Bible, it is the 142nd Psalm which we read a few moments ago.
The emptiness of that cave & the yearning of his heart have echoed down through the years in the words of vs. 4: "Look to my right & see; no one is concerned for me. I have no refuge; no one cares for my soul. I cry to you, O Lord; I say, 'You are my refuge...'"
David was fortunate in that he had his faith in God. He was able to believe that even when men had forsaken him, God was still near. But I’m afraid that many today don't have that kind of faith. And the cry of their hearts may often be: "No one cares for my soul."
ILL. A little lady, up in years, rose early & cooked her breakfast. But for some reason she wasn't very hungry. She went outside & got the paper. "My, but aren't people busy," she thought, "doing so many things."
"Yes, & passing you by," came that small voice that had begun to haunt her lately. "Your usefulness is over," it continued, "Nobody cares about you any more."
Pushing these thoughts aside, she tidied up her little house but it took so little time now that she was alone. She put on her best every day dress, & she sat down. And she waited. And she waited but nobody came.
"No one cares for my soul."
ILL. The Boss had not slept too well last night. Thoughts like these had kept running through his mind: "What am I doing? Where am I going? What is life all about?" Oh, he hadn't phrased his thoughts just like that, but deep down inside he felt that something was missing in his life.
He generally kept busy enough to squelch any twinge of conscience but for some reason the emptiness of his life really got to him last night. He even thought about his mother for the first time in months.
He thought about her Bible stories at bed time. He thought about her taking him to Sunday School. He thought about her singing hymns in that soft sweet voice of hers as she went about doing her work at home.
And a tear had come to his eye. Can you imagine! A tear in the boss’s eye?
He had awakened this morning with a strange new resolve. He was going to do something about his life. He wasn't sure where to start, but there must be more to life than this.
And now he was at his desk. For the longest time he just sat there, thinking. Then he rang his buzzer & called in Smith. "Smith," he said gruffly (he had forgotten how to talk any other way), "Smith, I under¬stand you go to church." "Well, sometimes," said Smith in a voice so low that it could barely be heard.
"Does it do you any good?" bellowed the Boss. (You see, this unfamiliar line of conversation was making him feel ill at ease.) "Oh, I really don't know, sir," said Smith, hesitantly.
More silence. "Now what do I say?" thought the Boss. The silence stretched on. Finally he muttered in defeat, "Oh, get on out of here" & Smith beat a quick retreat. And the employees wondered why the Boss seemed to holler even louder than usual all day long.
"No one cares for my soul."
ILL. He had been a big man on earth, but now he appeared rather small as he stood before the mighty Throne of God. His record was being reviewed.
"Your mother & father were both poor." He nodded his head.
"You worked hard to get an education." "I had to, to get ahead in life."
"You were successful in your job." "Well, I like to think so. I got a lot of promotions."
And then the record began to touch on some of the things that were really important & he developed a little twitch in his right eye.
"You had no interest in the things of God." "Well, I didn't know much about Him."
"Didn't you have a Bible in your home?" asked the Voice, not unkindly. "Well, yes, but . . ."
"Didn't anyone ever invite you to go with them to Sunday school & church?" "Well, yes, but . . ."
Oh, he knew he was without excuse. He could not deny the justice of it. But it still tore at his soul, & now he was trembling all over.
He turned to face those still waiting. "You," he pointed, "you were my neighbor. Why didn't you tell me about God?"
"You, (pointing at another), you worked with me. Did you know about this Judgment Day? Then why didn't you tell me?" There was no answer. One after another, heads dropped in shame. No one answered. There was no answer.
Finally there came a word from the Voice & he moved to the left. But these words stayed behind to haunt those who were still waiting their turn: "You never even mentioned Him to me!"
"No one cares for my soul."
Now, do not misunderstand me. These that we have mentioned had a personal responsibility, too. The little lady up in years should have busied herself in helping others instead of waiting for someone else to call upon her.
The Boss & the worker could have learned the will of God, if they had really wanted to. You see, they had to care, too.
God cares. The Bible says, "Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7)
Not only does God care, but Jesus cares, & we should care, too, because we are to walk in His steps. Peter wrote, "Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps." (1 Peter 2:21)
Once a woman came to Jesus & asked: "Lord, don't you care . . ." (Luke 10:40) Of course Jesus cared, but this question could be asked of us today with great effect. Do I care? Do you care? Do we care?
ILL. An announcement was made in the morning service about old Mrs. Carter being confined at home, & that she would appreciate visitors. But as the service continued, Mrs. Carter was soon forgotten, & it wasn't until after dinner when they were relaxing that the wife remembered the announcement about Mrs. Carter.
"Isn't it too bad about old Mrs. Carter?" she said as she laid down for a nap. "Yeah, it is," the husband replied as he turned on the TV. DO WE CARE?
ILL. A moving van had been outside the house across the street all day. When George came in, he tossed his hat on the bed, kissed his wife & said, "Looks like we have some new neighbors." "Looks that way," she replied.
That night at the supper table the subject came up again. "I suppose we ought to go over & be friendly," said the wife. "Wouldn't hurt," came the answer. "Should we invite them to church?" "Oh, they probably have their own church," said the husband. "Pass the potatoes." DO WE CARE?
ILL. The new girl at school didn't quite fit in. Her clothes weren't as good as some of the others. She even talked a little differently. And she seemed to be standing around alone most of the time.
Going home that night, Debra & Yvonne were discussing her & some other matters. "Pretty pitiful, isn't she?" said Debra. "Yes," said Yvonne, "I wish someone would clue her in on her clothes."
"You going to be in Sunday school this Sunday?" asked Debra. "Sure, you?" "Of course, but I sure get tired of our teacher talking about inviting others. I don't know anybody to invite. Do you know anybody to invite?" "No, I don't either." DO WE CARE?
Is it possible that our lives have become so self centered, so complicated, so full of things, that we no longer care? I am convinced that we must start caring, not only for the sake of others, but for the sake of our souls, too.
What does it mean to care? It means to care because someone needs that care. It means to see the potential in others. It means to express our love in concrete ways, to speak words of encouragement, to help lift burdens & lighten loads.
It means, above all, to try to introduce them to Jesus. If we fail in this, we have failed to do the most important thing for them in all eternity.
Jesus said, "Go & make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father & of the Son & of the Holy Spirit, & teaching them to obey every¬thing I have commanded you.
"And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20)
INVITATION: Do you care? Enough to say a kind word? To visit someone who is alone? To invite someone to come with you to Church & Sunday school? To talk to them about Jesus? Do you care? Do we care?
He cares, & He invites you to come, as we stand & as we sing.
