“I cry out to the Lord; I plead for the Lord’s mercy. I pour out my complaints before him and tell him all my troubles. When I am overwhelmed, you alone know the way I should turn. Wherever I go, my enemies have set traps for me. I look for someone to come and help me, but no one gives me a passing thought! No one will help me; no one cares a bit what happens to me. Then I pray to you, O Lord. I say, “You are my place of refuge. You are all I really want in life. Hear my cry, for I am very low. Rescue me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me. Bring me out of prison so I can thank you. The godly will crowd around me, for you are good to me.””
Psalms 142:1-7 NLT
Why do we cry out before God? So often, even Christians, misunderstand the purpose of salvation. God doesn’t save for the sake of saving. He saves us because he wants to have a specific type of relationship with us. Because of this, many have called on his power to save with success. God is, afterall, by nature an optimist. He holds the door open for mankind at the hint of a meaningful relationship. Many Christians experience God’s salvation and abundance, but unlike God, they lose interest quickly. It turns out that mostly, people prefer ease over quality of relationship. This is a particular source of contention for God. He is constantly used and discarded by man, only to be used again when the moment is difficult. But David is seen as a man after God’s own heart. His desires are cosmically akin to God’s, even in his fallible and sinful state. This passage illustrates that well. He is self aware enough to know that his circumstance make it difficult to praise God with freedom and abandon. His desire is a return to the openness of that relationship. He isn’t looking for ease for the sake of ease. He wants ease for the sake of quality. It is a fine line, but an important one that we ought to emulate in our heart life with God.
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