Psalm 142

David wrote this psalm while he was “in the cave,” presumably hiding away from Saul. At this point, he had already been declared the future king of Israel by God, but the fruition of that prophecy wasn’t coming very quickly. David was still spending much of his time running from his enemies and hiding out in dark places.

That’s what makes the ending of this psalm all the more inspirational to me: “Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name. Then the righteous will gather about me because of your goodness to me.” (vs 7)

Even in the darkness of the cave he was hiding in, David could see enough “light” to trust in the vision of God’s future. He envisioned himself as king of Israel, gathering the righteous around him as they praised God together for all He had done.

Perhaps David had faith that God would do what He said because he remembered the story of his Israelite ancestor, Joseph. If anyone knew about going from the prison to the palace, it was Joseph! Many times in his life, he experienced a complete reversal of fortune—going from being the “favorite” son to being thrown in a pit, threatened with death, sold into slavery, falsely accused of sexual assault, thrown into prison, and being forgotten and neglected by friends, only to end up running the country.

Wow! What a story! You know, when we live life with the Lord, one thing’s for sure: it will never be boring. We may not know whether we’re coming or going, we may not be able to see beyond our present circumstances, we may not be able to comprehend how God will change our situation, but when we stick with God, there will never be a dull moment!

That’s why it’s best to remember that God puts prisoners in the palace, because if we stick with God, chances are we’ll spend some time—perhaps a lot of time—in various “prisons.” God uses those adverse circumstances to prepare us for leadership in the palace.

But even in those dark, damp places, we can choose to remember—as David did—that God has promised a bright and glorious future for us. And if we close our eyes, we can see ourselves as God sees us, confident that He is working out His plan in our lives at just the right time, knowing that with Him, prisoners always end up in the palace!