As a young single woman in my 20’s I cackled along with movies and tv shows as a scene showed a mom hiding in her closet or pantry. Surely moms with houses don’t need to HIDE from their kids. Plus, my kids will be such a blessing I won’t ever have to hide from them. What kind of mom even does that?!

Add that to the long list of “things I was wrong about before I had kids”.

Now I understand.

Now I empathize.

Now I want to hug any mom who has ever hidden in a small room of their house. I want to hug you and whisper “I get it, me too” (the whisper is only to keep things light and creepy).

One of my favorite features in the Southern Illinois farm town parsonage we moved into about 6 months ago is my walk-in pantry. I knew I would store food and ingredients in there, I did not predict it would become my favorite hiding place. We have a basement, I have a home office, there are many places I could hide out, but I always choose the pantry in my low moments.

In my hiding place, I can take deep breaths and sometimes shed a few tears. I can reach for a loose Oreo or stale cracker while organizing my thoughts and feelings. I can pull up scripture or a devotion on my phone and dive in headfirst. I can tell God I feel alone and beg Him to help me. 

Maybe you have a place like this in your house. David wrote Psalm 142 from inside a cave. I highly doubt it was a “Cave of Wonders” type situation. No jewels or genies, just dirt and rock. 

David was in this cave seeking safety from King Saul and his people. David was alone and being attacked from all angles. 

Momma, do you ever feel alone? How about attacked from all angles? I know I do these days.

*** This is actually my pantry in real life!

Even if we are not retreating to our own hiding places, our hurts and habits can make us feel just as isolated as being alone in a cave. 

One of the things I love about the book of Psalms is that it covers every emotion we moms deal with. One-third of the Psalms are categorized as “laments”. This means someone else (usually David) also cried out things like “God, help, I’m struggling” or “Please help, things are not ok in my life”. If you have ever lamented, you are not alone. 

Interestingly enough, David wrote at least two Psalms from a cave. He also wrote Psalm 57 from inside a cave, but that Psalm is full of confidence and praise. Psalm 142 is full of defeat and desperation. The book of Psalms relates to our own real emotions, showing how David also bounced around from feeling to feeling much like we moms do. 

It’s OK to lament.

Let’s follow some of David’s examples in his lament Psalm to form our own laments.

Take a few moments to read Psalm 142.

David wrote this Psalm while he was feeling overwhelmed and alone.

David starts the first section by laying out all the stressful things happening to him at the moment. Writing “my spirit faints within me” can be translated to “feeling overwhelmed”.

King Saul and his army were coming after David. Essentially, David was more popular than Saul, and Saul was jealous.

Verse 4 of Psalm 142 expresses great loneliness that I think we moms can relate to. Look around, no one takes care of me. No one even sees me. I feel alone. This is often a mom’s plea. 

What we don’t get from the psalm here (but we do read in 1 Samuel) is that when David’s household and family heard he needed help, God sent them to his aid.

David was trying to handle it all on his own without seeming like he needed help. 

So, was David valid in his lonely feelings? Absolutely. 

Your parents and siblings may not run to your rescue when you cry out for help, but God will, and did, and does. You might have a few friends and family members help along the way too. 1 Samuel tells us that God did deliver David. 

In verses 5-7, David is smart to turn his focus on God for true rescue. Sometimes the very act of switching our focus from our problem to our problem solver does the trick. If you need a little more help, God, our ultimate problem solver, is here to rescue you His way, the RIGHT way. 

• David felt alone and overwhelmed. 
• We feel alone and overwhelmed.
• Jesus felt overwhelmed and alone. Jesus was forsaken and attacked and abused. 
• Jesus’ Father’s household didn’t come to His aid on the cross, but instead, Jesus came to our aid.
• Jesus experienced the low moments we feel on an extreme level. 
• Jesus was abandoned so you would never have to be.

Learn To Lament

Don’t worry, this is not an e-learning assignment, we all have more than enough of those. This is an application FOR YOU. 

If you have a favorite hiding spot in your house or car, start to stash some paper, a pen, and a Bible.

Or if you’re like me….some crumpled scribble paper, a Fancy Nancy glitter gel pen, and my phone’s Bible app (with 20% battery left). Work what’s working momma. 

Next time you’re hiding out, write a lament, David Style.

Step 1

 Write out your current struggles. Don’t be shy, you can trust God.

Step 2

 Write a little bit about a time God was there for His people. For example, “God, remember that one time you brought your people out of Egypt to save them? I remember too, that was rad.”

Step 3

 Write about a time God was there for you. 

Step 4

 Write a line or two about how you trust God will be there for you too, HIS way. 

Keep these prayers and read through them when you don’t have the words to write. 

CLICK HERE to read the previous post in this Bible Study Blog Post Series on Mom Guilt!