Psalm 142: Lessons Regarding the Hope That Jesus Offers You When You Are Alone and Feeling Sad or Depressed
Introduction: Psalm 142 recalls when David was betrayed, alone, and crying to God in a cave. Within the fourth and fifth books of the Psalter, this is the only psalm with a subscription line before it begins. It likely speaks to David’s time when he was alone in the cave of Adullam (1 Sam. 22:1). But he was in another cave with other men at En Gedo (1 Sam. 24:1-21). This is a continuation of psalms that are told out of order for thematic reasons (Ps. 138-145). Like David here, the post-exile Jews were alone as believers, frequently saddened, and dependent upon God for survival. In the modern world, many believers also feel alone, depressed, and with no other person who will truly care about their suffering. David’s suffering pointed to Jesus’ suffering when He was betrayed, abandoned, and killed. Because Jesus suffered for everyone, He offers you several types of hope when you feel alone and depressed. These include: (1) compassion, (2) comfort, (3) guidance, (4) love, (5) protection, (6) deliverance, and (7) His fellowship.
First, David went from being a prince to a fugitive in a cave. All David could do was cry out to God. When you are sad and alone, Jesus offers you His compassion. Second, in his agony, David turned to God for comfort. When you are sad and alone, Jesus also offers you His comfort and peace. Third, David was overwhelmed because Saul’s men had tried to entrap him. But God guided David’s path to escape those who tried to kill him. When you are feeling overwhelmed, Jesus also offers to guide you on His path. Fourth, as a wanted man, David cried out that he was alone with no one that he could turn to. When you are sad and alone, Jesus also offers you His love. Fifth, in the face of Saul’s army, David cried out for God’s protection. When you feel attacked and alone, Jesus also offers you His protection. Sixth, David felt like a prisoner in his cave. Thus, he cried out for God to deliver him. When you feel trapped or in bondage, Jesus offers you deliverance. Finally, David prayed that he would be delivered from his prison cave to a place where he would be surrounded by fellow believers and with God looking out for him. God would soon answer David’s prayers. When you feel trapped and alone, Jesus also offers you His fellowship both through the Holy Spirit and other believers.
1. Compassion: When You Are Sad, Jesus Offers You Compassion. Ps. 142:1.
God desires to pour out His compassion on you. Most likely when he hid in the cave of Adullam from Saul’s army (1 Sam. 22:1), David cried out to God in sadness. “Maskil of David, when he was in the cave. A Prayer. 1 I cry out with my voice to the Lord; with my voice I implore the Lord for compassion.” (Ps. 142:1). In the NASB, the Hebrew word “(ן׃) (’eṯ·ḥan·nān)” is translated as “compassion”. In the NIVB, this word is translated as “mercy.” In the KJB and the NKJV, it is translated as “I make my supplication.” No matter the translation, the idea is the same. God desires that you cry out to Him for your every need and feeling. “There can be no situation so distressing or dangerous, in which faith will not get comfort from God by prayer.” (Matthew Henry on Ps. 142:1).1
When you are in distress, cry out to God for help. In his Song of Deliverance, David declared how God heard his cries for help. “In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried to my God for help; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry for help before Him came into His ears.” (Ps. 18:6; 2 Sam. 22:7). “I rise before dawn and cry for help; I wait for Your words.” (Ps. 119:147). In the New Testament, believers are encouraged to turn to God and cry out to Him when you are in need. “Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises.” (Jam. 5:13). “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:6-7). “having cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares about you.” (1 Pet. 5:7).
Cry out to God when you are feeling alone, depressed, or sad2
God promises to hear your cries to Him. God has also directly promises to hear you when you cry to Him for help. “He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.” (Ps. 91:15). “Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” (Jer. 33:3). “It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will listen.” (Is. 65:24). “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” (Matt. 7:7-8).
When God answers your prayers, share your testimony. As our example, different psalmists repeatedly testified to how God answered their prayers. “I was crying out to the LORD with my voice, and He answered me from His holy mountain. Selah” (Ps. 3:4). “The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears and rescues them from all their troubles.” (Ps. 34:17). “A Psalm of Asaph. My voice rises to God, and I will cry aloud; my voice rises to God, and He will listen to me.” (Ps. 77:1). “From my distress I called upon the LORD; the LORD answered me and put me in an open space.” (Ps. 118:5). “A Song of Ascents. I cried to the LORD in my trouble, and He answered me.” (Ps. 120:1). Jonah also praised God for answering his cries for help. “Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the stomach of the fish, and he said, ‘I called out of my distress to the LORD, and He answered me. I called for help from the depth of Sheol; You heard my voice.”’ (Jonah 2:1-2). A similar testimonial appears in the book of Lamentations. “I called on Your name, LORD, out of the lowest pit. You have heard my voice, ‘Do not cover Your ear from my plea for relief, from my cry for help.’ You came near on the day I called to You; You said, ‘Do not fear!”’ (Lam. 3:55-57). To give hope to others, God also wants you to share your testimony regarding how He has answered your prayers.
2. Comfort: When You Are Sad, Jesus Offers Comfort and Peace. Ps. 142:2.
God wants you to pour out your heart to Him when you are troubled. Overwhelmed with feelings of sadness and with no one else to turn to, David poured out his feelings to God to find His comfort. “2 I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare my trouble before Him.” (Ps. 142:2). “[H]e took care where he outpoured his complaint, lest he should do mischief, or receive an ill return. If he poured it out before man he might only receive contempt from the proud, hardheartedness from the careless, or pretended sympathy from the false; and therefore he resolved upon an outpouring before God alone, since he would pity and relieve.” (Charles Spurgeon on Ps. 142:2) (italics original).3
Cry out for God’s comfort and peace when you are in distress4
God will comfort you when you cry out to Him. Many men of faith found comfort when they poured out their hearts to God. “I am weary with my sighing; every night I make my bed swim, I flood my couch with my tears.” (Ps. 6:6). “He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters…Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” (Ps. 23:2, 4). “My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all day long, ‘Where is your God?”’ (Ps. 42:3). “Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah” (Ps. 62:8). “A Psalm of Asaph. My voice rises to God, and I will cry aloud; My voice rises to God, and He will listen to me. In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord; in the night my hand was stretched out and did not grow weary; my soul refused to be comforted.” (Ps. 77:1-2). “This is my comfort in my misery, that Your word has revived me.” (Ps. 119:50). “Arise, whimper in the night at the beginning of the night watches; pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord; raise your hands to Him for the life of your little ones who languish because of hunger at the head of every street.” (Lam. 2:19).
When you cry to Jesus, He offers you comfort and peace. During your times of distress and sadness, Jesus also offers you comfort when you cry out to Him. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Matt. 5:4). “Shout for joy, you heavens! And rejoice, you earth! Break forth into joyful shouting, mountains! For the LORD has comforted His people and will have compassion on His afflicted.” (Is. 49:13). “for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.” (Rev. 7:17). He also offers you His peace. “Peace I leave you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, nor fearful.” (Jo. 14:27). “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:6-7). “Let the peace of Christ, to which you were indeed called in one body, rule in your hearts; and be thankful.” (Col. 3:15). “For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall,” (Eph. 2:14). “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” (Ro. 5:1).
Jesus wants you to comfort others with the comfort that He offers you. When Jesus comforts you, He wants to use you to help others in need. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” (2 Cor. 1:3-4). “But encourage one another every day, as long as it is still called “today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (Heb. 3:13).
3. Guidance: When You Are Overwhelmed, Jesus Can Guide You. Ps. 142:3.
God wants to guide you to keep you on the right path. David was overcome with grief that his father-in-law Saul and his men had tried to entrap him and kill him. David gave thanks that God knew the dangers before they happened and miraculously put David on the narrow path that saved him from death. “3 When my spirit felt weak within me, You knew my path. In the way where I walk they have hidden a trap for me.” (Ps. 142:3). “Saul gave Michal his daughter to David, on purpose that she might be a snare to him, 1 Samuel 18:21. And as he complains, everything that was done to, or respecting him, was done with a design to ensnare and destroy him. Yet, in the midst of all, he knew he was under the eye and guardian care of his all-wise and almighty Friend: in him he trusted, and this was his support and comfort.” (Joseph Benson Commentary on Ps. 142:3).5 After his initial attempt to kill David failed, Saul again directed his servants to kill David (1 Sam. 19:1). After that attempt failed, Saul again tried again a third time to kill David (1 Sam. 19:8-10). After that third attempt failed, Michal thwarted her father’s attempt to seize David by deceiving the palace guards and helping David escape (1 Sam. 19:11-17). But David would then live as a fugitive in exile from the palace for the next 20 years.
When you feel overwhelmed, Jesus can strengthen you to persevere. David felt weak because he was overwhelmed with grief (Ps. 142:3). But David and others psalmists separately declared how God can strengthen the oppressed. “The LORD will also be a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble;” (Ps. 9:9). “A Psalm of the sons of Korah, set to Alamoth. A Song. God is our refuge and strength, a very ready help in trouble.” (Ps. 46:1). “For You have been a refuge for me, a tower of strength against the enemy.” (Ps. 61:3). “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous runs into it and is safe.” (Prov. 18:10). “The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows those who take refuge in Him.” (Nahum 1:7). When you feel overwhelmed during a trial, Jesus can give you the strength to persevere. “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.” (2 Tim. 1:7).
When you are under attack, turn to God to find His narrow path for you6
Through prayer, the Word, and trust, God offers to keep you on His narrow path. David thanked God for keeping him off the path leading to entrapment (Ps. 142:3). In other psalms, David called upon God to make known the way leading to a life: “You will make known to me the way of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.” (Ps. 16:11). “Make me know Your ways, LORD; teach me Your paths.” (Ps. 25:4). This requires prayer (Jam. 1:5). God also makes known His path when you study His Word: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Ps. 119:105). You must also trust God above your own instincts. “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (Prov. 3:5-6). God further warns that only fools reject His narrow path leading to life. “A highway will be there, a roadway, and it will be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it, but it will be for the one who walks that way, and fools will not wander on it.” (Is. 35:8). Thus, with prayer, the study of the Word, and trust, God will guide you on His path leading to life.
Turn to Jesus to find the narrow path leading to His door of eternal life. Jesus warned that the path leading to eternal life is narrow. “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matt. 7:13-14). Jesus is the door leading to eternal life. Unless you follow His path, you will never find His door. “And someone said to Him, ‘Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?’ And He said to them, strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” (Lk. 13:23-24). If you have found His path, are you sharing the Good News with the lost?
4. Love: When You Are Sad and Alone, Jesus Offers His Love. Ps. 142:4.
When others reject you, God offers His love. Even though David was thankful to be alive, he was heartbroken to be alone with no one that he could turn to besides God. “4 Look to the right and see; for there is no one who regards me favorably; there is no escape for me; no one cares for my soul.” (Ps. 142:4). “Look, says he, in every direction; see who there is on whom I may rely; what there is to which I may trust as a refuge. I can find none; I see none; there is none.” (Albert Barnes on Ps. 142:4).7
The enemy attacks God’s servants and tries to make them feel alone. On other occasions, David and other psalmists cried out to God when others rejected and despised them. “But I am a worm and not a person, a disgrace of mankind and despised by the people. All who see me deride me; they sneer, they shake their heads, saying, turn him over to the LORD; let Him save him; let Him rescue him, because He delights in him.” (Ps. 22:6-8). “Because of all my adversaries, I have become a disgrace, especially to my neighbors, and an object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in the street flee from me.” (Ps. 31:11). “My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague; and my kinsmen stand far away.” (Ps. 38:11). “Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.” (Ps. 41:9). “You have removed my acquaintances far from me; You have made me an object of loathing to them; I am shut up and cannot go out.” (Ps. 88:8). Because they had God’s anointing, the enemy could not kill them. Thus, he tried to make them feel lonely, depressed, and give up. If you are serving God, the enemy may also attack you by making you feel worthless and alone.
Job also lost the respect of everyone around him. Job also suffered from rejection and isolation. Satan first killed his children (Job 1:12-22). He turned Job’s wife against him (Job 2:9; 19:17a). Satan then turned all of Job’s friends against him (Job 19:9,13-14, 19). “4 I am a joke to my friends, . . .” (Job 12:4a). “My friends are my scoffers; …” (Job 16:20a). “Mockers are certainly with me, and my eye gazes on their provocation.” (Job 17:2). They loathe me and stand aloof from me, and they do not refrain from spitting in my face.” (Job 30:10). Even children feared him with his open sores across his body: “Even young children despise me; I stand up and they speak against me.” (Job 19:18). In a patriarchal society, it was a great dishonor for children to reject a patriarch like Job. Satan did these things believing that Job would renounce God and his faith.
Turn to Jesus when you feel rejected or unloved8
When others reject you, Jesus is with you, and He offers you His love. When the world turns against you, you can find true love in Jesus. He so loves you that He died on the cross so that you could be with Him forever (Jo. 3:16). “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or in dread of them, for the LORD your God is the One who is going with you. He will not desert you or abandon you.” (Dt. 31:6). “But God, who comforts the discouraged, comforted us by the arrival of Titus;” (2 Cor. 7:6). “I, I Myself, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you are afraid of mortal man, and of a son of man who is made like grass,” (Is. 51:12). When you feel unloved, turn to Jesus.
5. Protection: When You Feel Attacked, Jesus Offers Protection. Ps. 142:5.
God offers protection to all who take refuge in Him. Even though he was hiding in a cave, David declared that he could find real protection and life by taking refuge in God. “5 I cried out to You, Lord; I said, ‘You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” (Ps. 142:5). “There was no one around him who could help him find safety and security – but there was always the LORD. This metaphor appears in a number of psalms as an expression of trust as well as confidence. Human help may fail, but God is always there – he knows the path of the psalmist, and he is his refuge. The second metaphor is ‘my portion of the living.’ The word ‘portion’ reminds the reader of the land inheritance given to the families of Israel. And so what he has received as his portion is the LORD – his presence, his protection, his promises (See Ps. 73:26).” (Allen Ross on Ps. 142:6).9
When Jesus is your refuge, He will also be your shield to protect you from evil. In other psalms, David also declared that “God is my refuge.” (Ps. 59:9). “My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; My savior, You save me from violence.” (2 Sam. 22:3). “The LORD will also be a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble;” (Ps. 9:9). God protected David from Saul’s spear attacks (1 Sam. 19:8-10). He also protected David against Goliath’s attack from a giant spear (1 Sam. 17:7). He also protected David in his many battles against the Philistines. In all these instances, David trusted God to provide his spiritual armor: “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 6:11-12). When you wear God’s armor, no weapon can harm you. “No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; . . .” (Is. 54:17). God also promises to be a shield to all who submit to Him: “As for God, His way is blameless; the word of the LORD is tested; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.” (2 Sam. 22:31). “Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.” (Prov. 30:5). Jesus invites you to seek His protection (Matt. 6:13). If you take refuge in Him, He will also be your hedge of protection.
With faith, your inheritance cannot be taken from you. David and others declared, “my portion in the land of the living.” (Ps. 142:5). “The LORD is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You support my lot.” (Ps. 16:5). “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (Ps. 73:26). With faith in Jesus, you have a spiritual inheritance that can never be taken from you.
6. Deliverance: When You Feel Trapped, Jesus Offers Deliverance. Ps. 142:6.
God offers you deliverance when you turn to Him. In humility, David cried out for God to rescue him from those who sought to capture and kill him. “6 Give Your attention to my cry, for I have been brought very low; rescue me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me.” (Ps. 142:6). “[D]eliver me from my persecutors; Saul and his men, who were in pursuit of him with great warmth and eagerness; for they are stronger than I; more in number, and greater in strength; Saul had with him three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, able bodied men, and expert in war; veteran troops, and in high spirits, with their king at the head of them;” (John Gill’s Exposition on the Bible, Ps. 142:6).10
Pray and cry out to Jesus when you need His deliverance. As our example, David repeatedly cried out to God for His protection and deliverance from evil: “The ropes of death encompassed me, and the torrents of destruction terrified me.” (Ps. 18:4). “The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses.” (Ps. 25:17). “Save me, God, for the waters have threatened my life. I have sunk in deep mud, and there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and a flood overflows me.” (Ps. 69:1-2). “Your wrath has rested upon me, and You have afflicted me with all Your waves. Selah” (Ps. 88:7). “Save me, my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the wrongdoer and the ruthless,” (Ps. 71:4). “I remembered God, and was troubled; I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Selah”. (Ps. 77:3). “He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death and broke their bands apart.” (Ps. 107:14). “Out of the depths I have cried to You, LORD.” (Ps. 130:1). “A Psalm of David. Rescue me, LORD, from evil people; protect me from violent men . . . Keep me, LORD, from the hands of the wicked; protect me from violent men who intend to trip up my feet.” (Ps. 140:1, 4). You should also cry out when you are responsible for your trial: “Save me from all my wrongdoings; do not make me an object of reproach for the foolish. I have become mute, I do not open my mouth, because it is You who have done it.” (Ps. 39:8-9). Thus, regardless of whether you caused your own trial, cry out in prayer for Jesus’ deliverance.
7. Fellowship: When You Feel Trapped and Alone, Jesus Offers You Fellowship Both Through His Presence and Other Believers. Ps. 142:7.
God offers you His fellowship through Jesus and within the body of Christ. David also prayed for God to rescue him from his lonely cave and place him in the company of fellow believers and God’s presence. “7 Bring my soul out of prison, so that I may give thanks to Your name; the righteous will surround me, for You will look after me.’” (Ps. 142:7). “Though his cry came from a great sense of humility and weakness, David ended this psalm with great confidence. · David began the song with complaint (Psalm 142:2); he closes confident of praise to come. · David began the song with a great sense of isolation (Psalm 142:4); he closes with confidence in coming companionship and support from the righteous. · David began with the sense of being low and weak (Psalm 142:6); he closes confident in God’s future goodness, knowing that God would deal bountifully with him.” (David Guzik on Ps. 142:7) (emphasis original).11
God answered David’s prayers by sending him people for David to serve. David prayed for God to surround him with other believers (Ps. 142:7). God then sent 600 rejected men for David to serve (1 Sam. 27:2). When you are in need, God also offers you fellowship within the body of Christ where you can serve others (Heb. 10:25).
God answered David’s prayers by bringing him other men in need for David to serve12
When others reject you, Jesus also offers you His fellowship. When you feel alone, rejected, or isolated, your faith brings you the blessing of Jesus’ fellowship: “God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” (1 Cor. 1:9). Merely accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior is not enough to be in fellowship with Him. You must accept Jesus’ invitation for a deeper relationship. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.” (Rev. 3:20). If you feel lonely, are you accepting Jesus’ invitation for true fellowship with Him?
Jesus was also humiliated so that you find His fellowship. Although He was without sin, Jesus bore our shame. For example, Jesus was mocked before He healed a girl that everyone concluded was dead (Matt. 9:24; Mk. 5:40). The Roman soldiers also mocked Jesus when they beat Him (Matt. 27:29), and the chief priests mocked Him as well (Matt. 27:41). “Then they spat in His face and beat Him with their fists; and others slapped Him,” (Matt. 26:67). “They spat on Him, and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head.” (Matt. 27:30). “Once again David’s life anticipates the life of the Lord Jesus. As we have moved through the book of Psalms, we have seen David persecuted and triumphant. Now near the end of the Psalter, as if to reiterate the strong theme of the suffering righteous servant shepherd, we have in Pss 140-142 another experience of persecution, a return to David’s sufferings. These psalms prepare their audience for the coming of the man of sorrows, the one acquainted with grief, from who men would hide their faces. Like David before him, Jesus would make his Father his refuge and portion, his only hope in the land of the living, entrusting himself to God in the days of his suffering.” (James Hamilton on Ps. 142).13 Jesus suffered so that you might be saved. He also suffered so that you would know that He understands your pain.
Image credit: Epitome: Psalm 9 – Crying Out to God↩︎
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Allen Ross, A Commentary of the Psalms: Volume 3 (90-150), Kregel Academic (2016) p. 872.↩︎
James M. Hamilton Jr., Evangelical Bible Theology Commentary Psalms (Vol. II: Psalms 73-150) (Lexham Academic 2021) p. 477.↩︎