Scripture to Read: Psalm 142:1
We will unpack Psalm 142 over the next seven days. Here are a few facts to give us some background on this Psalm. The Hebrew word “Maskil” means “Contemplation” or “Instruction.” Charles Spurgeon said of Psalm 142,“ He calls this prayer Maschil, ‘a Psalm of instruction’ because of the good lessons he had himself learned in the cave, learned on his knees, and so learned that he desired to teach others.” Even in reading Spurgeon’s quote, we should be careful in saying it was what David wanted to teach others. We must remember that this is God’s Word, so God desired to teach others and used David as one of His writers so every believer could learn from His Holy Word. To simply say that it was David who wanted to teach others makes it sound like Psalm 142 is only a man’s words and not God’s authoritative word. The “cave” mentioned in the title of Psalm 142 was probably the cave of Adullam, mentioned in 1 Samuel 22:1. God had David start by writing in Psalm 142:1, “I cry aloud with my voice to the Lord; I make supplication with my voice to the Lord.” As God had David write, we are reminded that God desires us to cry out to Him in our joys and in our trials, tests, and tribulations. God knows our needs before we ask Him, but when we cry out to Him, we recognize that we cannot do this life without Him. God never wants us to carry any burden alone but to always bring every need before Him.
Challenge & Application
· What did God teach you that we must do daily as we fellowship with Him?
· How are you crying out to the Lord each day, and what are you requesting from Him and why?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!