How Did I End Up Here?

“I declare from the beginning how it will end and foretell from the start what has not yet happened. I decree that my purpose will stand, and I will fulfill my every plan.” (Isaiah 46:10)

First Samuel, chapter 22, finds David hiding in a cave. David, who was anointed by God to be a king, was now a fugitive pursued by a madman, hiding in a creepy cave, and in the company of outcasts. To call the situation bleak is an understatement. At some point, he must have looked around at his surroundings and circumstances and thought, “How did I end up here?”

Have you ever asked that question? Have you ever wondered how your road led to your current challenges, difficulty, and pain? Have you ever thought that perhaps God had forgotten about you?

Psalm 142 is, “A psalm of David, regarding his experience in the cave. A prayer.” It’s worth a slow read. In this psalm, David pours out his heart to God. He spills all his complaints and all his troubles. But in that creepy cave and in those dire circumstances, David writes these words: “Then I pray to you, oh Lord. I say, ‘You are my refuge. You are all I really want in life. Hear my cry for I am very low’” (Psalm 142:5-6).

Any of us may find ourselves in a cave experience, a time when our lives seem off course and our problems seem unsolvable. In the times when everything that could go wrong has gone wrong, the best thing we can do is to pour our hearts out to God. He alone sees the end from the beginning. He alone knows how to guide our steps, bring us out of the cave, and bring us into our destiny.

Whether we are in the cave because of our own mistakes, someone else’s actions, or led there by God, know that God will always bring good out of a bad season. As long as we hold fast to God, God will hold fast to us. His plan for our lives is sure.

God does good work in caves. It was in a cave that God breathed new life into Lazarus’s lifeless body. It was in a cave that God reassured Elijah when he felt forsaken and wanted to give up. And it was in a cave that the power of almighty God resurrected Jesus Christ and secured our salvation and our future in heaven. The cave may not be fun, but God does some of his best work in caves.  

David’s cave was only for a season. God’s plan for David to become king happened just as he said. Remember, friend, your cave is only a stop on your journey, not your destination. The cave is for a season, not forever. If you’re in a cave right now, pour your heart out to God. And look up. God does good work in caves.

Dear God, you are my refuge. You are all I really want in life. Hear my cry today. Use every circumstance in my life for my good, the good of others, and for your glory. When I face difficulty, I will neither fear nor fall because I know you are always at work in my life, and your plan for my life is perfect. Thank you for loving me, for redeeming me, and for ordering my steps. In Jesus’s name, amen.