What Does it Mean to Cry Out to God?
Psalter Psaturday #120
Psalm 142:1-2
I cry aloud with my voice to the Lord; I make supplication with my voice to the Lord. I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare my trouble before Him. 3 When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, You knew my path. In the way where I walk. They have hidden a trap for me.
King David is in hiding. He is hiding from those who would kill him. He is not hidden from an unknown, unnamed enemy but from Saul. Saul even mentored David. Now, Saul sought to kill young David due to jealousy. The threat was made even greater because David refused to retaliate against Saul, who was God's anointed. David would leave Saul's life in the hands of God. David's only defense was to dodge Saul. To run, hide, and stealthfully move about the countryside to avoid the confrontation Saul sought so vehemently.
It is one thing to be pursued by a dangerous enemy; it is quite another to be unable to defend yourself against such an aggressive foe. We may not have aggressive enemies at our heels, but aggressive foes come in many forms. Physical illness, marital issues, family issues, money problems, worry, fear, or job loss. These are all aggressive "foes," and often, we cannot fight back effectively. What do we do? We cry aloud to the one who can defend us in any situation. The Lord who can intervene in any situation, who knows your path. In vs. 3, David declares that the Lord knows where we are in our life's journey. He knows the smooth paths and rough stretches and is always there.
David describes his pleas to the Almighty in four different ways:
1. I cry aloud with my voice to the Lord; - We should never be ashamed to literally cry out in our distress. Calling upon the Lord is a privilege and blessing of being his redeemed child. Crying out reveals a trusting heart calling out to a personal Savior.
2. I make supplication with my voice to the Lord. - Once again, David employs his voice to make supplication. Supplication expresses two things: humility and need. It is easy to feel entitled to relief when we are suffering through no fault of our own. We feel cheated and victimized and demand relief and justice. We feel we are "owed" something, especially after a long battle. Pride and self-righteousness swell. We believe we are justified. In these times, humility is hard to come by. When we lift our voices in supplication, we must do it without a sense of entitlement. We must accept our condition as God's will and humbly call on him for relief.
3. I pour out my complaint before Him. The beauty of the Lord's love and compassion for us is his willingness to hear our complaints and our case for his help. When we present this with humility, it helps us accept the answer. It is far better to endure humbly than to complain defiantly.
4. I declare my trouble before Him. - We should have no fear of bringing our troubles to the Lord. He invites it. Hebrews 4:16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy and find grace to help us when we need it most. Standing before the Lord should seem intimidating, but he is our Father who loves us and intends to help us when we come. When your spirit is overwhelmed, declare your trouble to the Lord!
It is difficult enough to find solutions when we are in the midst of a trial, but to know our adversary has plans for entrapment can be even more discouraging. David writes, "They have hidden a trap." He has current problems to deal with and, now, future dangers. How do we deal with these? Pray, Predict, and Prepare.
Pray - No secret here. We should be caught up in our prayer life, asking the Lord for strength and wisdom as we pass through deep waters. We should ask the Lord for accurate spiritual radar to warn us of what's coming. Satan's attacks are custom-designed just for us as individuals. We should be keenly aware of how he will most likely strike. It is wise to remember that he is a subtle opportunist who attacks our weaknesses when we are most vulnerable.
Predict - If you look at your calendar each month, perhaps you look for conflicts, free time, costs, downtime, travel, etc. You look for areas that may minimize productivity. This is a sensible practice. Adding a spiritual dynamic is also sensible. When you see your plans, do you look for areas that may be problematic? Do you look for situations that raise the potential for ungodly behavior? We are predictable creatures, so we must avoid anything that draws us nearer to the traps the great Deceiver sets.
Prepare - We do not live in a world without temptations and pitfalls. We cannot see or predict them all, and some cannot be avoided. How are you prepared to respond to sudden bad news, temptation, anger, or discouragement? How have you prepared to respond in a Godly way? We cannot predict everything, but we can prepare for anything. The Lord knows our path and all that is coming. He has equipped us to predict and prepare for the difficulties that will come. Now is the time to pray, predict, and prepare!
1 John 4:4 ESV Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.