I know because I talk to people and I read other writings, posts and status’s that we are all busy, busy, busy. 

Time, and life, is accelerating and if you don’t believe me; even little kids think time goes too fast. 

When I was a child, summer was sooooooooo long.

Waiting for Christmas and my birthday, car rides and sitting at the table while my parents finished their coffee after dinner was nothing short of an eternity. 

But I hear even young ones today say how fast time has gone so … it must be an acceleration. 

And as I hurtle through my days, I sometimes realize I have mentioned on here how I am going to tell you something and then other thoughts flit across my brain and I never get it down in type. 

Last week, I alluded to a Psalm of David that I wanted to share about. Or maybe it was just in my own head that I planned to address it…whoops…there I go again.

Before I let more time steal this thought I want to make sure I get it out of my head and onto this place where we meet.

Last Tuesday my devotional reading was based on Psalm 142. 

As I turned to the passage in my Bible, I noted this particular song was written by David and in the tiny italic type under the big number 142 it says..

A Maskil of David. When he was in the cave. A prayer. 

Well, if you know me…I had to get some questions answered before I could even move on to the psalm, devotion and anything else God might be wanting me to take away. 

First off, I had to find out what a “maskil” is. Turns out it is a literary style – a kind of instruction. 

Easy peasy. What is David teaching us?

But then I wanted to know what cave????

Because obviously this had to be very important, right?

It is noted as “the” cave, so it had to be a specific cave and I wanted to know which one it was because I am learning that things like this knowledge will give me a greater grasp of understanding the meaning of the passage I am studying. 

So I googled it….and I read the notes in my Bible…and I read a huge passage of Matthew Henry’s commentary…(and I think we all are beginning to understand why time getting away from me may be an issue)…

and guess what I found out?

All of those sources agree that they don’t know if it was the cave of Adullam or the cave of Engedi. 

This led to a rabbit trail of great proportions as I then followed up with the passages that hold the account of his experiences in these two caves and then I poured another cup of coffee and wondered why on earth my bible would include “when he was in THE cave” and it isn’t really a specific cave and then it hit me.

The geographical location of the cave is not the point. 

It was the circumstances IN the cave that made THE cave special.

Because both caves were really the same cave.

The cave where he was held captive by circumstances not of his choosing.

In both of these caves he faced the depth of betrayal.

It was the confusion of having been anointed as the future King of Israel and then running for his life. 

It was being banished and then having his family and all the outcasts and rubble and apparent riff-raff that didn’t make the cut in Saul’s kingdom coming to find him and say…lead us. 

It was the despair and the need for protection and direction and wisdom and waiting and responsibility not only for himself but for the calling God had placed on him.

It was THAT cave where David poured out so many prayers over and over that years later, he set about to write this out for us as an example of how someone who is after God’s heart prays and talks to God and sorts things out when he or she is in “the cave.”

I get it. 

I have some caves that I know of as THE cave. 

They are familiar places where I have had to dwell for an extended period of time. 

Places where it seems God led me and then left me.

My prayers and my cries have been repeated often enough that I can tell you the gist of them years later. 

I can remember what it felt like and I can remember when I was delivered. 

And sometimes, I pull out those experiences and I write them again, outside the cave, for someone else to read. 

I am no longer in that cave, but my words might give to some other cave dweller some hope and a way to hold on and get through. 

And that is what this Psalm is about. 

Are you in “the” cave today? 

Do you know someone else who is?

Turn to Psalm 142 and let it guide and lead your prayers as you wait <3

Better yet…here it is

I cry aloud to the LORD; I plead aloud to the LORD for mercy. I pour out my complaint before Him; I reveal my trouble to Him. Although my spirit is weak within me, You know my way.

Along this path I travel they have hidden a trap for me. Look to the right and see; no one stands up for me; there is no refuge for me; no one cares about me.

I cry out to You, LORD; I say, “You are my shelter, my portion in the land of the living.”

Listen to my cry, for I am very weak. Rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me.

Free me from prison so that I can praise Your name. The righteous will gather around me because You deal generously with me.

Psalm 142 A Maskil of David. When he was in the cave. A prayer.

When we were in Milwaukee for our nephew’s wedding, we attended the home church of his bride the morning of the big event. 

Redeemer Church is an unaffiliated church with roots in the Lutheran background and was just a sweet service. 

With opening songs of both “Great is Thy Faithfulness” and “It is Well with my Soul”…needless to say Sonja, the groom’s mom,  and I were fishing tissues out of our purses and dabbing our eyes shortly after arrival. 

The sermon was right on theme with our own church series, which always amazes me how thematic God is. 

Because apparently, His current message to me is Surrender and while I may be several hundred miles from home…He wanted to make sure I got the point. 

Today, I am sharing one of the points of the message we heard in Milwaukee that really hit me because I have never thought of it this way, but check out the resources at bottom for full sermon plus the All of Me series from FCC. 

The passage of the teaching was James 2: 14-26 and the paradox of saved by grace not our works and yet the evidence of salvation being in our works. 

This is a balance we struggle with as believers, because we are human and prone to measure things. 

We talked about that at First Christian in the Fruits of the Spirit series as well. We can’t produce the fruit of the Spirit, but we do have to activate within ourselves a place where this holy Fruit can develop. 

So we can’t do some things but we must do others and it can get muddled as we work it out. 

But to the point for today… the pastor at Redeemer Church, David Lynden, opened the sermon with a bold challenge to not be a “Precious Moment’s” kind of church but a church that is attacking the gates of Hell. 

And he said in order to do that, we need to face the tougher aspects of what we say we believe.

He opened with the question,

“Does ‘faith alone’ mean works are not part of the equation?”

An interesting and provocative question that we would probably rather avoid, amen?

But the next portion of the sermon was so eye-opening for me.

I have never thought of it this way, but if faith doctrine alone is all that is needed…then, he asked, does that mean Satan is saved?

Did you gasp or at least cringe?

I know I did. 

But think about it as we were called to consider on the handout we were provided:

What doctrine does Satan believe?

Does he believe God is a Trinity?

of course

Does he believe that Jesus is both God and human?

yes

Does he believe salvation can only be acquired by faith in Jesus?

check

Does he believe Jesus rose bodily from the dead?

yep

Does he believe Jesus is coming back again one day?

He certainly does, and he is wreaking havoc because he knows his time is running short. 

But is he saved. 

Of course not. 

So believing all of the truths is not the same as salvation. 

It says in James, they even tremble before Him…but…

And here is the kicker he gave us:

“The difference between a head knowledge faith and saving faith is surrender.”

It’s believing all of the above doctrines and then making the choice to say, I can’t save myself. 

I have to come under the authority of what I believe. 

I can’t do enough good. 

I can’t work myself into a better person. 

I will never be, even on my very best day, righteous. 

I not only acknowledge the saving power of God, I accept His Lordship over me. 

I was born with a sin nature and I believe AND receive Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross in payment for my debt. 

I can only do that by faith, yes. 

But then that faith will be worked out daily as I give up my “rights” to my “self” and allow His life to be lived out through me. 

It is daily dying to my own plans, will, desires, bent…and taking up His plans, His will, His desires, His best for me. 

Surrender. 

He becomes more. 

I become less. 

Resources:

For Redeemer Church sermon:

https://redeemerefc.com/resources/sermons

For First Christian Church series “All of Me”

https://www.firstdecatur.org/messages/all-of-me/