“I cry aloud to the Lord;
I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy.
I pour out before him my complaint;
before him I tell my trouble.” (Psalms 142:1-2)
Have you ever gone through a vexing situation or even experienced deep trouble and pain? You are not alone. The psalmist finds himself here in an extremely trying situation and comes before the Lord in desperation, laying out all his travails before God honestly. He does not hold back or hide anything from God.
“When my spirit grows faint within me,
it is you who watch over my way.
In the path where I walk
people have hidden a snare for me.” (Psalm 142:3)
He acknowledges that he has come to the end of his own wisdom and strength. His spirit is faint and he cannot help himself any longer. And the way ahead of him is still treacherous. He is unable to survive the dangers that are coming ahead of him.
“Look and see, there is no one at my right hand;
no one is concerned for me.
I have no refuge;
no one cares for my life.”
What’s worse is that his friends have forsaken him. The one help he thought he could depend on turns out to be not dependable. How disheartened he must have felt! His friends not only do not provide help for him in his time of need, they don’t even care about his well-being. He feels abandoned and all alone – left to face his troubles by himself.
“I cry to you, Lord;
I say, “You are my refuge,
my portion in the land of the living.”
Facing a bleak future, he turns to his only Source of true help – God himself. He cries out to God: “You are my only refuge and I depend on You alone… I have no others to turn to.” He acknowledges that God alone is the only One that he leans on, and no one else. This is the turning point for him.
“Listen to my cry,
for I am in desperate need;
rescue me from those who pursue me,
for they are too strong for me.”
He ask specifically for God’s help in his situation. The Lord is not averse to us asking for help because He is able to deliver us. Our direct requests show that we trust that our heavenly Father can provide for our needs.
“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.”
The psalmist likens his current condition to being stuck in prison. There is no way he can extricate himself. He is fully trapped. But the Lord is able to free him from his predicament. And he prays for his deliverance with the right motives – so that he can bring praise and glory to the Lord!
On Holy Saturday 2000 years ago, Jesus probably prayed the same prayer. He had been rejected, abandoned, crucified on the cross, died and was buried. He is now trapped in the throes of death and hell from which none can deliver him. Yet he turns to his Father and prays:
“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.”
Do you find yourself in similar situation?
Holy Saturday teaches to turn to the Lord fully and wait patiently for His deliverance. The light of His dawning in your life will come in your life – just as He raised our Lord from the grave on Resurrection Sunday!
Have a blessed Holy Saturday🙏