YouVersion

16 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am lonely and afflicted.

I have to confess, the very first thing I thought about when I read this verse was Elvis Presley's rendition of "Are You Lonely Tonight?" Two lines in particular come to mind - Is your heart filled with pain, shall I come back again? Tell me dear, are you lonesome tonight?

David must have been lonely a lot. As a young boy, watching over sheep. On the run from Saul. Hiding in caves. Never really knowing who he could trust. As king, knowing that a royal leader can never really have any close friends. I think David was a lonely man. And like many of us, he was often in trouble. David wasn't complaining about coming down with the swine flu when he talks about being afflicted. He's talking about being distressed, being under rigorous pressure, feeling trapped, feeling defeated, and discouraged.

So there you have it. Sound familiar? I doubt there's any one reading this that hasn't at some point felt exactly the same way. Having people around and being lonely are two separate things. You could be in the midst of a huge crowd and still feel horribly lonely.

One of the things that I enjoy doing is going into New York City. When I do go in, I often travel on the subways. The subway system in NYC is microcosm of the rest of the world, and it's fascinating. As I'm riding the subway and studying the people around me, I often wonder if they feel lonely, since so many of them look like they are. Yet I would guess that many of those that do not "look" lonely really are very lonely. We need to remember that appearances, and even demeanor, can be deceptive. The loneliest person could be the one who appears to be the life of the party.

I find it interesting in what David asks of God here. It's almost as if David is saying, please pay attention to me. And then, give me a break! I do not picture David as a weak-kneed, sissy of a man. David was a man of action. I think that David understood that God would not necessarily solve all his problems for him; rather, it appears that David is looking for moral support, for reinforcement, for assistance. So often it seems that when we as God's children get jammed up that we expect God to just bail us out and we walk away scott free.

Remember when you learned to ride a two-wheeler? Dad would start off by running alongside, with his hand strategically placed on the bike - not controlling, but guiding. And then you'd say, "Dad, let go! I can do this myself!", after which you would immediately crash and fall to the ground. Dad would pick you up, brush you off, and start all over again. He didn't ride the bike for us; He didn't take the spill for us; but He was right there to pick us up and get us on our feet.

Maybe you are feeling "lonely and afflicted" today. God is there. . . he steadying hand will keep you upright, he'll stay right alongside of you, and he'll dust you off when you fall. Next time you feel like you are going to crash, remember this verse - and remember that God will turn to you just as he did for David.