“Everyone Needs A Cave”
“I cry aloud to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy. 2I pour out before him my complaint;
before him I tell my trouble. 3When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who watch over my way. In the path where I walk people have hidden a snare for me. 4Look and see, there is no one at my right hand; no one is concerned for me. I have no refuge; no one cares for my life. 5I cry to you, Lord; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” 6 Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me. 7Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name. Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me.” Psalm 142:1-7
Intro: Adullam (Ad due lum) is about 5 miles south of Bethshemesh is Judah, near the place known as Gath.
Hidden among the goat and sheep trails there are several caves.
When David was fleeing from Saul, he hid in a cave near Adullam.
As a disclaimer: David was hunted twice and his life in great peril so he hid in caves;
on one occasion, in the cave of Adullam,
and on another, in the cave of Engedi. (In ged ee)
We know it is in one such cave that Psalm 142 is written about.
The back story to this is found in 1 Samuel chapter 18.
Saul was first introduced to David when he asked for someone to play the harp.
David is the greatest musician/song writer to ever live.
Hands down: David is the greatest musician/song writer of all times.
David is beyond the Beatles, Evils Presley, Garth Brooks, and Led Zeppelin combined.
We are studying his songs, the book of Psalms 3000 years after he wrote his words.
His lyrics still resonate with us, stir up and evoke a response in our hearts.
Saul would be troubled in his soul and the music from David's harp would calm his spirit.
Saul’s son Jonathan loved David like a brother.
Saul loved David like a son.
When the Philistine army came to fight against Saul
When everyone else feared the Philistines it was David who went out and fought Goliath and won.
When David came in from the battle the women came out from the towns of Israel
to meet King Saul with singing and dancing with joyful songs and tambourines.
As they danced they sang: “Saul has slain thousands…, and David his tens of thousands.”
Saul became jealous and became very angry.
The bible says this song about David “galled Saul”
Have anyone ever made you feel bitter?
Saul was bitter and resentful. It was more than just rubbing someone the wrong way.
Saul was angry that the people credited David ten times more than him.
The bible says “from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David.” 1 Samuel 18:9
David wanted to serve God and do what was right for the kingdom.
Later on Saul was rejected by God to be King and David was instead chosen to be the next King.
If Saul had been right with God he would have been Glad for this.
But instead Saul tried to kill David many times.
Saul gave his daughter unto David to be a snare unto him.
Saul was desperately trying to destroy this young man because of the threat he was to his power.
But David behaved himself wisely and withdrew himself from Saul.
This is where the story picks up our text in Psalm 142.
David is not singing his usual upbeat, uptempo feel good songs to dance to.
Instead he is in a cave hiding from the Saul.
Somewhere outside is Saul and his army searching the countryside looking to kill David if they find him.
And David cries out to God about it.
“I cry aloud to the Lord;
I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy.
2I pour out before him my complaint;
before him I tell my trouble.
When he cries aloud in verse 1
And lifts up his voice to the Lord for mercy.
And in verse 2 David pours out before God his complaint.
This isn’t like David.
Most of the time we see David praising God.
I will praise the Lord at all times.
I will sing of his praise forever.
No matter what the circumstances are surrounding David
He is singing
He is dancing.
But not this time.
Have you ever wondered why people have difficulty coming to the altar and talking to God?
You see we have been taught that unless we come to God…, the right way…,
God doesn’t hear us and doesn’t answer
So we don’t come to God at all.
This is an important point you need to learn from this sermon.
That there will be times when
If you don’t learn to pour out your complaints to God in His presence they will spill over somewhere else.
The fact of the matter is a lot of times we don’t pray,
we don’t worship,
we don’t enter into the presence of God in a specific and tangible way where God can heal our brokenness, and God can heal the issues of our heart
because we never really open ourselves up
we never really tell God how we are feeling
we never get to that point, to that place where we tell God exactly how we are feeling.
It is very difficult for us to sometimes tell God how we are feeling.
Which is really odd because we are in church every week.
But still we don’t tell God how we really feel.
It is not like we don’t have opportunities to tell God.
There is an altar right here.
But how often do we come to that altar to do that?
Which makes me want to ask the question: “Why don’t we come to the altar when there is so much healing, and so much release, and so much peace and strength available to you every week.
It is right here.
Right in front of you.
I know people say, you don’t have to come to the altar to meet with Jesus.
I would say to you.
[If you are meeting Jesus on a regular basis] at work, and in your car, and at the grocery store.
Then praise God you are doing something right.
But if we will be completely honest and if you will be completely transparent with ourselves and others.
The truth is…, that…, just is not…, happening on a regular basis.
So you stand at a distance or sit at a distance…,
when the God of your refuge,
the God of righteousness,
the God of goodness wants to help you
but it is up to you…, because you are the one who has to make the next move.
You know why I think people don’t come to the altar.
I think people have tried other things and have failed, they have been let down.
Let me tell you what I mean.
Have you ever came home from a really bad day at school as a teen or work as a parent.
You come in and your husband, wife, mom, or dad whatever your situation may be.
They say, “Hi honey how was your day.”
You are thinking to yourself.
Awe. This is so wonderful.
They want to know about my day.
I am going to tell them how bad things have been.
How that the internet was down all day.
I couldn’t get my work out on time.
The boss or teacher was mad because I didn’t get my work turned in.
The vending machine took my money.
My sandwich for lunch was soggy.
The milk spilled out in my purse or book bag.
I had to walk around all day smelling like soured milk.
People would start to talk to me and then just turn around and walk away.
I have had the god-awful-lest, worst day of my life.
The person you just told this to looks you straight in the eyes and says,
That’s nice, do you know where the remote to the t.v. is?
Has anyone been there? Had that happen to you?
If you say that hasn’t happened to you
Then most likely you are the one who is standing there looking for the remote control.
Oblivious of what was just said.
The thing that I want to tell you about God is that He is always the safe place
That you can pour out my complaint.
Where I will never be ignored or rejected.
And If you don’t learn how to pour out your complaints in God’s presence
they will pour out in your marriage,
they will pour out in your family,
they will pour out in your church,
they will pour out in the form of angry words and hurtful actions
onto the people that you care about and you love the most.
You will hurt people.
They will spill over…, some…, where…, else.
In 1940 a preacher from Mississippi wrote the song, “Where Could I Go but to the Lord.”
This simple hymn asks the profound, question – Where could I go but to the Lord?
I have no other option but going to the Lord.
God, and only God, can help me in difficult times in my life.
It is an acknowledgement that there is no one that can help but God.
Sometimes we lean on doctors, family, friends, the Church, or our finances to get us through,
and all of those things can be tools God uses to help us through difficult times.
But in reality there is no other option for us to take our problems to but to Him.
So, where are you going today?
Where are you taking your problems and concerns today?
You see, God is the only truly safe place where you can pour out your complaint.
“Everyone Needs A Cave”
Where we just tell God our troubles.
We admit our weakness and our utter helplessness to control the situation.
When you feel chained an imprisoned.
Inside you things look desperate.
What else are you going to do?
Are you going to go on Facebook and tell your troubles?
The presence of God is not a place to bypass your emotions.
It is place to process your emotions.
Sometimes before your mouth can be full of praise
you have to pour out your trouble and complaint
Before you can be full of praise and worship.
It is ok to tell God your troubles.
It is ok to say God I feel overwhelmed.
It is ok to tell God I don’t see you in my situation right now.
It feels like no one is at my right hand.
Like no one gives me a passing thought
Like no one cares
Like no one will help me.
It is ok to say to God I can’t feel you right now.
But I need you.
How are you ever going to get to the place where you can sing to God
You are my light in the darkness.
You are my joy in the storm.
You are my strength and strong hold in the battle
Unless first you start at the place you really are.
So the bible gives me permission to pour out my complaint before the Lord my God.
It is not like God doesn’t already know what you are going through.
God does already know.
In fact God is the only one who really knows how you feel.
Because we are so good at hiding our emotions.
We are so good at suppressing how we feel.
David the strongman who killed lions, bears and Goliath.
Goes into the cave at Adullam (Ad due lum) and cries aloud to the Lord.
David was good at fighting battles with his hands and his sword.
David was good at fighting external battles.
It is when we study the internal battles that David fought that we find David’s weakness.
No matter whether it was the internal battle with lust, adultery, or murder.
Let me give you a litmus test.
The next time that you are struggling with making a choice.
And you are thinking to yourself.
I’m not sure I should turn left or turn right. I’m not sure I should be doing this or not.
Before you do it there is a simple test that basically will determine whether to do it or not to do it.
It is a simple pass or fail test.
Are you ready???
Say it aloud.
Once you say something out loud it puts some meat on it.
It is no longer just a battle internally in the mind.
You have processed thoughts into sentences that describe your actions.
Now you have verbalized the risks and rewards you are about to take.
When someone asks you the question: “What’s wrong?”
Have you ever answered, “I don’t want to talk about it.”
Because you know the thoughts that you are having
are unclear or irrational
and if you say what you are thinking-----hello----watch out mouth.
it is either not going to make sense
or you know you are having a thinking error
and the way you feel inside is wrong
so you don’t want to talk about it.
Prayer should be heartfelt and honest, but always in submission to God and His sovereign will.
I want you to try this for the next seven days.
Instead of praying silently to yourself.
I want you to only pray aloud.
Instead of having some quiet time with God.
Let’s have some loud time with God.
David cried aloud to God
David lifted up his voice to the Lord
David poured out his complaint to God.
David told God his troubles.
He did it in a cave
You can do it in a closet
It is not about other people hearing what you say to God
It is about you processing what you say to God.
Because often when you say what you are thinking it either makes sense or it doesn’t make sense.
There is no good in sitting quietly worrying and calling it prayer.
You can fret all day and call it prayer because it is not prayer.
You can think a thousand things at once.
In fact how many of you aren’t really paying attention right now????
You have got something else on your mind.
You can think ten different things at one time.
But you can only say one thing at a time.
So when I open my mouth.
I am being very intentional.
I have people all the time tell me after a sermon.
Preacher I was thinking Amen but I did not say it.
Well a lot of good that did.
That didn’t help the person sitting beside you one bit.----you might have stole their joy.
Thinking praise and speaking praise are two different things.
Both Pray and Praise CAN be a matter of silence before God.
But we live in at least a Methodist culture today
where generally speaking…, people are afraid of prayer and praise aloud.
David wrote at least 73 Psalms
He knew how to sing.
He knew how to praise.
He knew how to worship
He knew how to make a joyful noise
And He knew how to pray aloud.
We can say, God did you see what I just did?
And God will say yes. And God will say, “I can see how you will act tomorrow.”
God says I decided to send my son Jesus to give his life for you on the cross
with complete foreknowledge of all your faults.
I died for you knowing all your weaknesses and sins.
David sang in Psalm 139
If I go up to heaven you are there.
If I make my bed in the depths you are there.
If I say I will dwell in the deepest part of the ocean God is there.
If I could ask the darkness to hide me you are there
If I hide in a cave you are there.
Prayer is not to inform God of our situation,
but Prayer is to prepare us to receive from God the things that we ask.
It is less about showing God about us.
And more about showing us about us.
I don’t like some of the things I think.
I don’t like some of the things I say.
There is something about saying them that brings focus and clarity and intentionality to my actions.
Why do we pray the Lord’s prayer aloud?
Why do we say the Apostles creed aloud?
Why do we read the scriptures aloud?
Why don’t we take a hymnal and just sit and read the words to the songs silently to ourselves?
Your thoughts become your words.
Your words become your actions.
Your actions become your habits.
Your habits become your values.
Your values become your destiny.
David is under attack.
David is hiding in a cave.
But what might seem like evil against David
God is able to turn it and make it good.
A song that starts out to be a dark, isolated, lonely, depressed prison for David.
Ends up being a song of thankfulness with godly people surrounding him.
Instead of trying to kill him.
They are treating him kindly. Verse 7.
There is a surprise ending to the song.
David verbalizes.
David visualizes a day when the suffering is over.
When his prayer is answered.
When he is no longer shunned or hunted
But instead he is thronged or even crowded in the streets.
The root meaning of this phrase “The godly will crowd around me.”
The Hebrew verb means “to Crown” as in to the righteous will encircle me to place a royal crown on my head.
David knew in his heart that one day he would be crowned King of Israel.
But it took him going to the darkness of a cave to say it out loud.
We all know the good God has in store for us.
Even though at this moment it may seem like we are in prison
Because of the troubles, and traps, and loneliness,
people who talk about us,
and persecute us
and seek to do harm and even destroy us.
Something I noticed here: David is not surprised by the enemies who surround him.
He is surprised by the friends who didn’t.
David was not expecting that it would be easy to be a king.
He was not expecting to ascend to the throne without any battles
But he was expecting the people God called him to serve would have his back.
I not surprised by the people who circle around me to kill me
I am more surprised at the people who don’t circle around me to care about me.
Have you ever looked around and been surprised.
Where are the people you have helped out?
Where are the family members and friends that you have given gas money and food and help buy clothing
and you helped them move and you let them sleep on your couch?
I mean most of us will never fight giants or face wicked kings.
I am just making this practical.
And now you are in peril and need.
Why don’t they show up to help out at show support and give back?
David slew Giants
David fought battles while you were home sleeping with your family
Now David needs help and where is everyone.
David is in the darkest place in his life not because he is surrounded by trouble
But because he can’t find any support.
He had no support system around him.
Looking for somebody to be there for him.
Let me tell you friends that should never be the place in the church.
That is something that I want to change.
I want to be part of a church where the people build relationships that matter.
Not just the sunny Sunday morning relationship but the thundering Thursday relationships
when someone really needs help and you don’t know where else to turn to but your church family.
You see your relationship with God is not born in the moment you are crowned in victory
but in the moment you are hiding in despair.
David is a giant killer.
David has a future of as a leader of an entire nation.
David is supposed to be the king but he is stuck in a cave.
We may not be destined to slay giants like David.
Or fight tens of thousands of armed enemy soldiers.
We may not be destined to rule a nation as king like David.
I have a feeling every husband can relate to this sermon
Every wife can relate
Every friend can relate
Every parent can relate
Listen to what 1 Samuel 22 verse 2 David says:
“Everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented, gathered themselves to him; and he became captain over them.”
The bible says God put 400 of this kind of people around David.
These men would become the same men who would bring David to the throne.
You see when God helps someone.
When they receive the goodness, and kindness, and the gifts of love and mercy.
It changes them.
And instead of them just going on about their business.
Something has to eventually change you on the inside.
The greatest thing that we can do is to help transform a receiver into a disciple.
You can’t just keep being a receiver.
The purpose…, of God…, is to eventually move the traffic to attenders
And the attenders into members
And the members into disciples
And the disciples into givers.
Is to move people one step at a time closer in their relationship with God
So that eventually the cycle is broken and people are moved from sinner to salvation
From coming to the soup kitchen to working behind the counter in the soup kitchen.
Rarely will a person you give a piece of bread to remember your name.
But lead a person to salvation in Christ
and they will remember who you are and what you have done for the rest of their life.
If that is not happening we need to be asking the question why not?
Why not?
People who were in debt. People who were in distress. People who were discontent
Became David’s mighty men.
But a lot people feel stuck.
They feel like they will never be good enough to become the helper
Do you ever feel stuck in a situation in life and you know you are meant for better things
But you just don’t quite know how to get unstuck.
The news we are called to spread is you are not stuck
What don’t kill you only makes you stronger.
But we are all called to defend the people around us.
Whether that is your own family.
Or your church family
Or the innocent and weak in the community.
We have all heard sermons that ask the question if you died today would you go to heaven.
It is good question
It is an important question
It is something you want to settle
But I think a better question to ask is: “If you don’t die today do you have faith enough to get you through the next situation or the next struggle you will have to face?
It is heartbreaking to me to see the church as a silent bystander on the stage of both world and local events.
As a church this is true way too often.
In our individual personal life this is also true way too often.
God calls us to be deeply concerned about the people and happenings around us.
Closing: Everyone needs a place sometime to just escape.
“Everyone Needs A Cave”
If your troubles do not lead you to go deeper in faith and prayer,
you’re missing the lesson of the cave!
Let your loneliness, gloom, and despair make you cry out to the Lord to bring your soul out of prison,
so that you may give thanks to His name!
Caves are a nice place to visit and maybe where you need to be at times to speak to God
And also hear the voice of God speak back to you
But no one needs to stay in the cave too long.
There are some things in the cave you can’t see
Until you come out of the cave and into the light again.
David had a battle he had to fight down in Judah
And God had given him an army to fight along beside him.
The battle David had the face was at Judah
But the very meaning of the word Judah means praise.
If I had time to preach it this morning I would preach a whole other sermon on
David going to Judah God would turn the battle field of Judah into the place of David’s praise.
Is anyone going to step outside your cave and go to Judah?
You got to get out of the cave and go to Judah where you will be crowned king.
Come on give God praise!
David would never have become king if he had just staying in the cave talking to God
He had to go out and actually face his enemies
And train the men who were following him into his army.
David starts Psalm 142 trapped in a cave.
David ends Psalm 142 coming out of prison.
The Lord knows you’re there. Let the cave hear your best prayers!
