The Lord is My Refuge

Psalm 142:1-2

With my voice I cry out to the Lord;
    with my voice I plead for mercy to the Lord.
I pour out my complaint before him;
    I tell my trouble before him.

The Psalm was written by David when he hid as Saul pursued him. His life was threatened. David, though a man of faith, was not omniscient. He did not know what the outcome would be for him, he did not know if Saul would find him and kill him. He was likely anxious and afraid. What did he do? He turned to the Lord. While he asked God for mercy, that he be delivered from his enemy, he also honestly brought before him his complaint and told him of his trouble.

David did not turn away from God and complain to others about the injustice of his situation. He turned to God, he remained focused on and connected to the Lord. He told God about his trouble. Let us also remain connected to the Lord. Let us be unwaveringly focused on him. Let us tell him of our concerns for our mentees locked in a prison where a deadly virus has invaded. And let us encourage our mentees to turn to the Lord and tell him of their troubles.

Psalm 142:3

hen my spirit faints within me,
    you know my way!

Be honest in your troubles. Tell God that you don’t have everything under control. Tell him that you are not able to carry the weight of this, that you cannot overcome it. You need help.

Encourage your mentee to tell the Lord what he is thinking, what he is feeling, if he is anxious and afraid.

Psalm 142:5-7

I cry to you, O Lord;
    I say, “You are my refuge,
    my portion in the land of the living.”
Attend to my cry,
    for I am brought very low!
Deliver me from my persecutors,
    for they are too strong for me!

 Bring me out of prison,
    that I may give thanks to your name!
The righteous will surround me,
    for you will deal bountifully with me.

Turn to the Lord for refuge. Though we are brought low, it is he who will lift us up. We face things that are too strong for us, that we cannot overcome. We cannot overcome them, but Christ can overcome for us.

In this Psalm the prison is the cave where David hid. The Reformation Study Bible commentators say that in later usage the prison referred to any situation that held a person captive. As our mentees are held captive by both a literal prison and a prison of this virus, their best hope is to look to the Lord for their deliverance. Encourage them to admit and embrace that they are weak, knowing that in our weakness the Lord can show his strength, “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong,” (2 Cor. 12:10).

Years ago I heard a story of a missionary doctor in Africa who treated a man in his clinic who asked him, “Where did the soldiers come from?” The man admitted months before he had followed the doctor on his return from the nearest town. When the doctor stopped and camped for the night the man intended to come and rob the doctor. But as he approached the doctor’s campsite it was surrounded by seven soldiers. The doctor had no idea what he was talking about. Later, when back in the States and visiting a supporting church the doctor shared that story. Afterwards, a man asked the date that the doctor had been camped and was spared from attack. On that day, the man had had an impression that the doctor was in danger. He’d called the churches men’s group to meet him to pray for the doctor. Seven men had prayed that day for the doctor’s protection.

The Reformation Study Bible says that “angels guard and minister to God’s people (Ps. 91:11, Heb. 1:14).” Let us stand with stand with our mentees (Psalm 142:7) and with the angels that protect them, surrounding them with prayer for their protection.

Much love, Barry