WHEN HE HID IN CAVES

Meaning in Psalm 142

Alfred D. Byrd

DAVID, chosen by God to be king,
Was having troubles. The man in charge,
A man of courage, but not of sense,
Desired his life and chased him with swords.
His death by Saul would end a promise
Spoken by God, and therefore secure,
But there seemed to him no hope of life
On nights of fear when he hid in caves.
In times of darkness, he called on God,
And God remembered, easing his fears
And sparing his life to gain a throne
That comes from God — the Maker's blessing:

"SOMETIMES, it seem to us that we live
In a world in which our lives don't count.
We feel like prey, as deer are to wolves;
Our foes pursue us from dusk to dawn.
When we say, 'We've found a place of rest,'
We spring a trap. Our foes are clever,
Blocking our path behind and ahead.
If we turn to fight,, we'll find our strength
Too little to make our foes retreat.
We're all alone. No help will arrive
From those who face distress of their own.
Our life's a prison without a door.

"IN DEPTHS of bondage, let's think of God.
Our God remembers. Our God will hear
Our cries from a heart in pain for help.
Our God, though far away, like the stars,
Is as near to us as life itself.
Our God understands how weak we are,
And listens with love to what we say.
Our God is a rock on which we stand;
Our God is better than gold for wealth.
The one who has the riches of God
Will find a place among the righteous,
Lovers of God rewarded with love."

Four hundred years of silence was broken.

The Bible's Hidden Years