Psalm 142:1-7 NKJV
A Contemplation of David. A Prayer when he was in the cave.
142 I cry out to the Lord with my voice;
With my voice to the Lord I make my supplication.
2 I pour out my complaint before Him;
I declare before Him my trouble.
3 When my spirit was overwhelmed within me,
Then You knew my path.
In the way in which I walk
They have secretly set a snare for me.
4 Look on my right hand and see,
For there is no one who acknowledges me;
Refuge has failed me;
No one cares for my soul.
5 I cried out to You, O Lord:
I said, “You are my refuge,
My portion in the land of the living.
6 Attend to my cry,
For I am brought very low;
Deliver me from my persecutors,
For they are stronger than I.
7 Bring my soul out of prison,
That I may praise Your name;
The righteous shall surround me,
For You shall deal bountifully with me.”
In Reading the Psalms with Luther, the blessed Doctor writes of this psalm, “The psalmist prays for grace and forgiveness of sins in the terror of his conscience. He is nearly pressed to despair by the enemies of faith, that is, the promoters of the Law. These especially plague the distressed and timid conscience and drive it into darkness… But here the psalm shows that grace provides deliverance, not the judgment before which no one alive can stand… For all of the holy patriarchs of old placed their hope on God’s love and grace, and not on judgment” (p. 339).
Like David, we also are privileged to cry out to the Lord and plead for His mercy, for we, too, in and of our sinful nature, have our consciences terrorized by the constant accusations of the devil through the unbelieving world around us. We are tempted at times to give up when illness or tragedy or difficulty strike and wonder out loud, “Where are You, God?”
Not if, but when that happens, we are privileged to call upon our good and gracious God in faith and trust that He has promised to hear our prayers and answer them for our good as He sees fit. For He is our refuge and our portion and, as David says, “will deal bountifully” with us in His grace and mercy.
As you complete this week and look forward to the Divine Service tomorrow, know that God has demonstrated His love and care for You by giving up His one and only Son to suffer in your place, die for your sins in your place, and rise victoriously from the dead for you. All your sins are paid for, and through that wondrous message the Holy Spirit works faith in the heart and gives you the strength to call upon God for all things, knowing that He loves and cares for you and delivers Himself to you in His preached Word and His Sacramental gifts of Holy Absolution, Holy Baptism, and Holy Supper.
Let us pray: Dear Jesus, thank You for paying for all my sins. Give me strength each day to cry out to You and know that You hear and will ultimately deliver me from this life to the life of the world to come. Amen.