Psalm 142:1-2

This psalm was written by David as he reflected on the experience of hiding from his enemies in a cave. This happened on two occasions. Firstly, in Adullam and secondly in En Gedi. On both occasions he was being threatened by King Saul, who was eager to kill him. There’s no way of knowing which occasion he was thinking about when he wrote this psalm, but it doesn’t matter. What is clear is that he was under extreme pressure and needed help. In his despair he cried out to the Lord, knowing that God knew the whole story. The words of the African-American spiritual song ‘Nobody knows the trouble I seen’ sum up David’s experience very well, together with his conviction that the one person who does know everything is the Lord.

We are often inclined to bottle up our fears and worries. We don’t like to trouble other people with them, recognising that they might well have bigger problems than ours. But it is good and right that we should pour out our concerns to the Lord. Through the centuries, God’s people have done just that. When St Francis of Assisi died in 1226, he had this particular psalm on his lips.

Two hundred years later, as the philosopher Heinrich Heine neared his death, he said: “It is a great blessing to know that there is someone in heaven to whom I can complain. It is a wonderful relief to whine the list of my sufferings.” There are times when we all have things we need to get off our chests, and we should remember that the Lord is well able to receive all our complaints.

We may have a picture of God as someone who is so remote that he could never be concerned about our personal problems. But that is not the God of the Bible. He consistently shows both his intimate knowledge and complete love of us. If you have nothing to complain about, rejoice! But if you do, you can be sure that the Lord is ready to listen to you.

QUESTIONS
Have you ever complained to God? If so, what did you say? If not, why?

PRAYER
Loving God, thank you that you are always willing to listen to us, even when we have lots of problems and complaints. Amen

Released on 19 Jun 2023