God's Care

I don’t know if you saw any of the Indiana Jones films – like Raiders of the Lost Ark. They’re about this adventuring archaeologist who spends his life trying to dig up treasure from the most booby-trapped burial sites you can imagine. In one film, he drops down into this chamber only to discover that it’s crawling with huge spiders. So he legs it into the next chamber to discover that it’s crawling with snakes. So he legs it again into the final chamber to find that it’s not crawling with anything. And he slumps back on the wall out of sheer relief - only to discover that the wall is beginning to move and is squeezing him slowly but surely towards the other wall, and certain death.

And that’s the picture I want us to have in our minds as we look at Psalm 142. Because this Psalm was written to help believers in Christ when the non-Christian world is trying to squeeze us out.

Eg, soon after I and three other friends came to faith at boarding school, quite a few people in our house tried to squeeze us out socially. We would come back from the Christian Union and they’d chant ‘God Squad’ at us. They stuck crosses to our study doors with hate-messages on them. I think school can be the hardest place in the world to be a Christian because teenagers really know how to be cruel in gangs. I don’t know if that rings bells with you CYFA guys and girls.

But believers get squeezed out everywhere. Eg, I know of a parent governor in our church family who found that the other governors were trying to squeeze her off the governing body, to get rid of her awkward views. Or, I know believers whose parents have forbidden them to talk about Christianity when they visit home – squeezing them into silence. Or most of us know what it’s like when a moral issue in the news comes up in conversation at work, and you get asked what you think as a Christian and even as you’re answering you can tell they’re making a mental note never to ask you again.

The squeeze is on. And increasingly it looks like the squeeze will be on us from the law. A friend of mine has been helping lobby MP’s against this very dangerous Racial & Religious Hatred Bill. And he briefed a member of the House of Commons standing committee debating the bill. He said to this member, ‘Do you realise that if this law goes through, I could be prosecuted simply for preaching what the Bible says?’ So half an hour later, this member asked the standing committee whether they realised that, if this law is passed, Church of England clergymen could be prosecuted simply for preaching on certain passages of the Bible. And another MP said:

“Perhaps there is a new orthodoxy… we have moved on. We are in the 21st century, in a multicultural, multiracial society. That is why the Bill needs to be passed.”

She says ‘perhaps’, but it’s clear that she believes there should be a new orthodoxy – ie, that government should lay down what may and may not now be said in public. It’s a frightening scenario.

Well, before we turn to the Psalm, let me give you a moment’s pause to think: if you’re a believer, how are you most aware of being squeezed by the non-Christian world?

OK, with those situations in mind, let’s turn to Psalm 142 to see how God would have us react when the non-Christian world is trying to squeeze us out. I said at the start of this series that the Psalms are God-given responses to all sorts of situations in life. And when you read a Psalm, the first thing to do is to try to work out what was the original situation that led to the Psalm being written. So let’s run an eye over Psalm 142 and try to work that out. So, reading from the title:

Psalm 142

A maskil of David. When he was in the cave. A prayer.

You’ll notice that by that word ‘maskil’ (in the NIV Bible) there’s a little ‘a’, and if you look to the bottom of the page you’ll see a footnote that says, ‘a Title: Probably a literary or musical term.’ Ie, they’d have understood what that meant back then, but it’s lost on us now – just like the musical term ‘rap’ will be lost on people 3000 years from now – and is probably lost on a good number of us already.

Then you’ll notice it’s written by King David, and that there’s also a big clue as to the original situation: ‘When he was in the cave.’ So would you keep a paw in Psalm 142 and turn back in the Bibles to 1 Samuel 21. And if you have a look at 1 Samuel 21.10 it says:

10 That day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath. (1 Samuel 21.10)

The situation is that Saul is currently king of Israel, but the LORD has decided to replace him with David. So David has been anointed (ie, appointed) next king, but far from being king at this point, he’s on the run from Saul, who’s trying to kill him – because, not surprisingly, Saul isn’t happy with the idea of David becoming king when he still wants to be. So, David goes on the run to this place called Gath. But the people there suss out who he is, so he runs again, and 1 Samuel 22.1 says:

David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and his father’s household heard about it, they went down to him there. (1 Samuel 22.1)

But presumably there was a period before his brothers and father’s household heard about it when he was in the caveon his own – no-one to help him, no-one to turn to, basically being hunted to death. And although we can’t be 100% sure, it’s highly likely that that was the original situation that led to Psalm 142 being written.

So, back to Psalm 142, and let’s first read over it, thinking ourselves into David’s shoes – he’s in that cave, on his own, being squeezed out by Saul:

1 I cry aloud to the LORD; I lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy. 2 I pour out my complaint before him; before him I tell my trouble. 3 When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who know my way. In the path where I walk men [ie, Saul & Co] have hidden a snare for me. 4 Look to my right and see; no one is concerned for me. I have no refuge; no one cares for my life. 5 I cry to you, O 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. 7 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. (vv1-7)

So that’s the original situation that led to the Psalm being written. Next question: how are we supposed to read this Psalm as Christians? After all, you’re probably thinking, ‘I’m not God’s anointed king, I’m not in a cave and no-one’s trying to kill me.’ Well the thing to do is ask: ‘How is my situation similar to David’s? What parallels can I draw between my situation today and David’s situation then?’

And the big parallel is that God’s anointed king is still being squeezed out. Only God’s anointed king is now Jesus. David and his kingdom was just a temporary visual aid foreshadowing Jesus and his kingdom. And David’s experience of being squeezed out and rejected was just a foreshadowing of Jesus being squeezed out and rejected – and ultimately crucified by a world that didn’t want him to be king. Jesus was then raised from the dead to show that he is king, and yet 2000 years later, the world is still squeezing him out, still rejecting him. But since he’s no longer here in a physical human body as he was 2000 years ago, the world can’t literally squeeze him out. It can only squeeze him by squeezing those who identify with him, those who stand for him – ie, us, if we’re believers.

And the big parallel between our situation and David’s is simply this: that if we identify with God’s anointed king and stand for him in a world that doesn’t want him to be king, we will find ourselves squeezed out. Metaphorically speaking, we will find ourselves ‘in the cave’.

So, when they squeeze us out at school or on the board of governors or at home or in that conversation at work, how should we react?


Firstly, PRAY ABOUT IT (vv1-2)

Look at vv1-2:

1 I cry aloud to the LORD; I lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy. 2 I pour out my complaint before him; before him I tell my trouble. (vv1-2)

Ie, ‘I pray about it.’ Which sounds a pretty unnecessary point to make. After all, of course Christians will pray about these situations, won’t they? To which if we’re honest we often have to say, ‘No.’ Because the temptation in these situations is precisely not to pray - out of a feeling that God is somehow against us. We misinterpret circumstances by thinking that because people are against us, God must somehow be against us – otherwise surely he’d have protected us from being squeezed.

But this side of heaven, we live in a world that’s rejecting the Lord Jesus. And his only way of protecting us from being squeezed would be to take us out of the world. But because he wants more of the world to turn to him through our witness, that’s the last thing he plans to do. So, we need to get used to trusting that two things are true at the same time: no.1, that the Lord is absolutely on our side – no less for us than he showed himself to be when he died for us on the cross. And no.2, that he allows the world the freedom to squeeze us – sometimes to squeeze us very harshly. Both those things are true. And if we believe that, instead of not praying because we doubt he’s on our side, we’ll pray because we know that he is.


Second, TRUST YOUR FUTURE TO THE LORD (v3)

Think of David in that cave. It would have been so easy for him to give up hope and just assume that the worst case scenario was definitely going to happen - that Saul would find him and kill him. It would have been so easy for him to think, ‘What’s the point of running any more, and hoping any more that God’s cause will succeed? Why not give up?’ Well, look at v3. David says to the Lord:

3 When my spirit grows faint [literally, ‘gives up’] within me, it is you who know my way. In the path where I walk men have hidden a snare for me. (v3)

In the second half of v3, David knows what man’s plan for him is. Man’s plan for him is to see him dead as soon as possible. And it would be really easy for David to live as if that worst case scenario was definitely going to happen – in which case, you would give up.

But what faith says is in the first half of v3. Faith says to the Lord:

3 When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who know my way. (v3)

Ie, when I’m tempted to give up in these situations because I can only see the worst case scenario happening, I remind myself that actually only God knows my way. Only God knows what’s going to happen. And I mustn’t live as if some worst case scenario is definitely going to happen. Eg, I mustn’t give up going to CU at school because I can only believe the worst case scenario that I’ll be left with no friends and that my witness won’t bring about anything positive. I mustn’t give up on the board of governors because I can only believe the worst case scenario that they’ll kick me off, anyway. I mustn’t give up praying for family who’ve said they never want me to talk about Christianity because I can only believe the worst case scenario that nothing can change. And I mustn’t give up saying those distinctively Christian things in conversations at work because I can only believe the worst case scenario that I’ll get it in the neck. It’s so easy to fear the worst about where taking a stand for Christ will lead in the future, and therefore to give up taking the stand now. But we need to say, v3, ‘It is you – the Lord – who know my way.’ (And in this original situation, God knew that he would have David out of that cave and surrounded by supporters and ultimately on the throne.)

And there’s a general principle here even wider than these situations where we’re being squeezed by the world. It’s to do with our worst case scenarios. I wonder what you’d say was your worse case scenario right now? What’s your biggest fear? What keeps you awake at night, or wakes you up at night in panic? In any situation where we have a worst case scenario – maybe losing our job, maybe a health worst case scenario, maybe a worst case scenario to do with our children, whatever – in any situation where we have a worst case scenario, we need to trust our future to the Lord and not live as if the worst case scenario is definitely going to happen. And that’s a real discipline of the mind – especially for those of us who are more naturally fearful, pessimistic people. Let’s not live in possible futures that may well never happen. Let’s trust our futures to the Lord.


Third, FIND YOUR SECURITY AND SATISFACTION IN THE LORD (vv4-5)

Think again of David in that cave. The unbeliever would look at him and say, ‘Poor bloke. He has no-one and nothing.’ Well, look at what David says in v4:

4 Look to my right and see [ie, to where my right hand man would usually be]; no one is concerned for me. I have no refuge; no one cares for my life. (v4)

But that’s humanly speaking; that’s all the unbeliever could say. But read on, v5, to what faith says:

5 I cry to you, O LORD; I say, "You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living." (v5)

And if there’s one verse I would encourage us to go away with for these kind of situations, it’s this one. Whenever we find ourselves squeezed in these kind of situations, whenever we’re facing wider worse case scenarios, this is the verse I would encourage us to turn to and say out loud to ourselves and meditate on.

5 I cry to you, O LORD; I say, "You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living." (v5)

‘Refuge’ is the place of security in hostile circumstances. Refuge is the lifeboat on the stormy sea that’s just sunk your ship. Refuge is the castle that’s keeping out the army laying siege to you. It’s not that the refuge takes you out of the hostile circumstances. But that it stands between you and the hostile circumstances, so you’re safe in those circumstances. Not necessarily comfortable. But safe.

And to be ‘in Christ’ as the New Testament (NT) puts it is to be inside a refuge like that – the ultimate refuge. The Lord Jesus doesn’t take us out of the hostile circumstances of this world. But he stands between us and those circumstances in the sense that he is completely in control of them, and nothing happens to us that he doesn’t allow to happen to us. And he allows nothing that will ultimately harm us. So, eg, when we were persecuted back in that boarding school, it hurt - it wasn’t comfortable. But it did us no harm. Quite the opposite: it was good for us, in that it strengthened our faith; and it was good for two others in that they came to faith as they saw us stand our ground.

‘You are my refuge’, and v5 again:my portion in the land of the living."

‘Portion’ is the picture of what you have on your plate – the picture of your slice of cake as opposed to someone else’s slice of cake - and whether you’re content with yours or would really rather have theirs. So in his cave, David’s thinking, ‘Saul has his palace, his comforts, his power, his friends… but he doesn’t have the Lord: he’s turned his back on the Lord. On the other hand, I have the Lord and, right now, nothing else. Which is better? The answer is: to have the Lord.’

Whatever we lose by being squeezed by the world isn’t worth comparing with having the Lord. Eg, say we lose a friend because of our witness. Well, what would we rather have? The approval of a friend who’s anti-Jesus and whose friendship towards us is clearly highly conditional? Or the approval of Jesus, who’s shown himself unconditionally to be our closest friend by dying for us on the cross? Or down the tracks, what if some of us lose our liberty for our faith - either in our home countries or in this country, the way things are going? Well what would we rather have? Being outwardly at liberty but actually slavishly silenced by the world? Or being in prison but freely thinking and saying the truth about Jesus? The apostle Paul said:

I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ. (Philippians 3.8)

We need to decide what is our ‘portion’? What do we really value above all else - and therefore what are we prepared to lose?

And, again, there’s a general principle here even wider than these situations where we’re being squeezed by the world. It’s to do with any situation where we’re facing hostile circumstances, circumstances where we stand to lose something or someone. Circumstances like serious illness, redundancy, a threat to our children, financial insecurity, the loss of someone we love. And in any situations like that we need to take on our lips, and preach to ourselves, those words of v5:

5 I cry to you, O LORD; I say, "You are my refuge, my portion…" (v5)

How would God have us react when the non-Christian world is trying to squeeze us out? He’d have us:

1. Pray about it;2. Trust our future to him;3. Find our security and satisfaction in him.

Lastly, let’s re-visit the first point:


PRAY ABOUT IT

Which begs the question: what do you pray? Look finally to v6:

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. 7 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. (vv6-7)

In David’s case I take it he knew that the Lord would rescue him from death, because the Lord had sent the prophet Samuel to anoint him and to promise him specifically that he would one day be king.

But we don’t have such specific promises about our specific circumstances. Going back to some of the examples we began with: it may be the Lord’s will to allow us more persecution at school, or to see schoolmates converted – or both at the same time. There are no specific promises about our specific circumstances. It may be the Lord’s will to keep us on that board of school governors as a blessing to the school, or to take us off it as a judgement on the school. There are no specific promises about our specific circumstances. And so on.

So we don’t know (as David did in this situation) that it’s the Lord’s will to rescue us from our specific ‘squeezes’. Now it’s not wrong to pray for rescue or relief from those squeezes, so long as we add, ‘If it’s your will.’ But as we’ve seen, metaphorically, we will always be ‘in the cave’ to some extent, this side of heaven. So whether or not we’re rescued from being squeezed, we need to pray that we’re rescued from giving in under the squeeze. And we need to pray that prayer of v7 – ‘that I may praise your name’: ie, that whatever happens, we’ll react in a way that reflects well on the Lord.

The best NT example of that is in Philippians, so would you turn finally to Philippians 1. The situation is that the apostle Paul is in prison, facing possible death for his faith – ie, like David, he’s ‘in the cave’. And he writes this in 1.18:

Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, 19for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. (Philippians 1.18-19)

Ie, he clearly expects the Lord to act for him, for his ‘deliverance’ and he’s praying for that and asked the Philippians to pray for that. But read on and notice how he doesn’t assume that that will mean deliverance from the circumstances he’s in:

20I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed [ie, give in under the squeeze, and be ashamed of Christ], but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. (Philippians 1.20)

So he doesn’t know that it’s God’s will for him to be delivered from the circumstances – from the prison cell, from death. He can certainly pray for that outcome, but he has to add, ‘If it is your will - which I don’t know.’ What he does know is that God is committed to delivering him from giving in under the squeeze – and he should certainly pray for God to do that. And the same principles apply to our praying in these kind of situations.


So that’s Psalm 142 - the God-given response for when the non-Christian world is trying to squeeze us out. And, applying it more widely, it’s the God-given response for when facing our worse case scenarios or any kind of hostile circumstances. And if there’s one verse to take away above all, when the squeeze is on, when the walls are moving in, it’s v5:

5 I cry to you, O LORD; I say, "You are my refuge, my portion…" (v5)