David, The Cave of COVID-19, and making REAL Friends…

Everyone being cooped up and so many people hurting has me thinking about a time in David’s life in the Bible. Through no fault of his own, David had lost everything and everyone and had a powerful enemy trying to kill him. So he “escaped to the cave”(1 Sam 22:1). Sound relatable yet? While David was experiencing extreme “social distancing” in the cave, he wrote a prayer to God, Psalm 142. Here’s part of it:

I plead for mercy to the LORD…In the path where I walk they have hidden a trap for me…no one cares for my soul. 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…Bring me out of prison, that I may give thanks to your name!

Some wisdom from the cave psalm:

•David was honest to God about his pain. We can be too.

•David recognized God as his true refuge. We should too.

•David didn’t just ask for the cave time to be over. He asked for it to end so he could give thanks in the name of God. That should be our attitude too.

And something else really cool happened through this time in David’s life. He found some true friends. His family, plus a bunch of people who were stressed out, having money problems, and dealing with bitterness in their soul, rallied around him. (See 1 Sam 22:1b-2) If that sounds like a bunch of misfits, that’s because it was! 😆 But hey, real friends are people who will let you be honest about the mess you’re in, and can cry out to God with you, because they love you, they’ve been there, and they know they’re no better than you.

You know, I’ve lived “out here” in Grayson County my whole life. Some would say it ain’t much to look at and say I’ve missed out. Of course, I’d say they just don’t have a good appreciation for hay bales, cattle grazing, and sunsets 🙂 BUT—most of us honestly don’t live here for the scenery. We live here for the people. Real people. People you can hurt with, heal with, and seek God with. Friends, I know we are hurting right now, but we’re gonna be ok. We’re gonna stick together, hurt, heal, and always seek and praise God.

#LookUp #OneDayAtATime