Read
(A special psalm and a prayer by David when he was in the cave.)
A Prayer for Help
1 I pray to you, Lord.
I beg for mercy.
2I tell you all my worries
and my troubles,
3and whenever I feel low,
you are there to guide me.
A trap has been hidden
along my pathway.
4Even if you look,
you won't see anyone
who cares enough
to walk beside me.
There is no place to hide,
and no one who really cares.
5I pray to you, Lord!
You are my place of safety,
and you are my choice
in the land of the living.
Please answer my prayer.
I am completely helpless.
6Help! They are chasing me,
and they are too strong.
7Rescue me from this prison,
so I can praise your name.
And when your people notice
your wonderful kindness to me,
they will rush to my side.
Reflect
Not too long ago we were visiting some friends near our home to see their newborn baby. After only being in their home a few minutes we heard the baby begin to cry. Cry…and CRY! This poor little creature was bawling so loud and hard that her little face turned red and she had a hard time breathing. Her mother tried her best to calm her down so she could catch her breath.
I asked if she was hungry or tired or…. But her mom said, “I don’t know. I just fed her.” How frustrating it was to see this poor child crying out, not able to share her needs, and then us not able to know her exact needs. David, in this psalm, is constantly mentioning his cries to the Lord. He intentionally wants us to know that he is crying out with his voice. This isn’t an internal, spiritual cry, but is a pleading for God’s mercy and protection.
How good it is to know that unlike the newborn infant, when we cry out, our God hears us and knows our needs. Our God is also all-knowing and can discern whether or not our needs will actually benefit us or harm us. In all of David’s cries for help, protection, and deliverance, he is still ringing aloud one common theme: God is his refuge! He desires so much to sing praise and give thanks to the name of the Lord.
When you are distressed, who do you cry out to? Is it God or someone else? Because of the work of Christ on the cross, we can go boldly before God and plead aloud for his help. We can have the confidence that our God hears us and will deliver us.
Respond
Lord, You are our refuge and portion. Help us in our time of need and give us a childlike spirit so that we cry out with our voices to you, even for the small things!
J. R. Bucklew
J.R. Bucklew is a visionary with ideas that are quickly becoming the standard in other parts of the world. Born a hearing child of deaf parents (CODA), his first language growing up was American Sign Language (ASL), and he still considers ASL his heart language. He has a strong desire for the Deaf community to know and understand the Word of God. This has allowed him to travel to many parts of the world, both ministering to and being an advocate for the Deaf. Prior to coming to Albuquerque, NM, JR and his wife ministered to the Deaf in Ethiopia. They started a Deaf church and opened a café that exclusively employed Deaf people. They also formed two sign language centers and helped train others to work with the Deaf. JR’s journey with Deaf Bible began in 2012 and is now President and visionary-lead of the Deaf Bible Society. JR also serves on the boards of several other Deaf ministries in the United States.