“I cried unto thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living.”
My Notes
What Does Psalms 142:5 Mean?
David writes from a cave — likely the cave of Adullam or En Gedi, hiding from Saul. His cry is both desperate and confident: "Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living." Even in hiding, God is enough. Even in a cave, God is his inheritance.
The word "refuge" (machseh) means shelter, a place to hide. David is in a literal cave, and he calls God his cave within the cave. The physical shelter is temporary. The divine shelter is permanent.
"My portion in the land of the living" is a statement of sufficiency. A "portion" (cheleq) is one's allotted share — the inheritance assigned to you. David is saying: even if I lose everything else — the throne, the house, the safety — God is my assigned share. He's what I got. And He's enough.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Can you say 'God is my portion' from your current situation — or does it only feel true when things are going well?
- 2.What does it mean to find God as your refuge in the 'cave' — the worst, most restricted place in your life?
- 3.Have you ever been stripped of everything else and discovered that God was genuinely enough?
- 4.How does David's cave-prayer compare to the prayers you pray from comfortable places?
Devotional
David is in a cave. Hiding. Running. And from the darkness of that cave, he says the most audacious thing: You are my refuge. You are my portion. In the land of the living.
Not when I get out. Not when the danger passes. Not when I'm back on the throne. Now. In this cave. You are enough.
There's a kind of faith that's easy to profess from a pulpit. And there's a kind of faith that can only be spoken from a cave. David's faith here is the cave kind. It doesn't have the luxury of comfort. It doesn't have evidence that things are going to work out. It has a stone floor, a dark entrance, and a God who is present in the worst possible location.
"My portion" — that's inheritance language. David is saying: even if I never sit on the throne again, even if this cave is where my story ends, God is my allotted share. He's what I was given. And what I was given is enough.
Are you in a cave right now? A place of hiding, fear, constriction? David's testimony from the same kind of place is: God is my refuge and my portion. Not somewhere else. Here. In the darkness. In the land of the living.
You're still in the land of the living. And God is still your portion.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
I cried unto thee, O Lord,.... Finding no help from man, he turns to the Lord, and directs his prayer to him in his…
I cried unto thee, O Lord - When there was no help; when I saw myself encompassed with dangers; when I looked on every…
The psalmist here tells us, for our instruction, 1. How he was disowned and deserted by his friends, Psa 142:4. When he…
Reminding God of his devotion in past times, he prays for a speedy answer to his prayer.
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture