The Cave

I’m doing cave research this week. I’m giving the devotion at my church next Wednesday night and it seems as though the Holy Spirit keeps leading me in that direction, albeit in a roundabout way of which I’ll spare you the details. I lead the singing at my church, and speaking is something I seldom do in our services other than to direct the congregation to what page the next song selection will be from and which verses we’ll sing. Teaching a Sunday School class is more than enough speech-time for me, indeed. But anyway, my pastor will be on the road next week in a revival and asked me to handle the service for him, so here I am this morning. Researching caves as the Spirit directs me. I doubt there are many people who can say they’ve done that.

I’ve been in caves before; from the Tennessee caves of Rock City and the Lost Sea, to a neat little cave near Sylacauga, Alabama. They are always dark and damp, and during each tour there usually comes an obligatory time where the guide will turn off the lights to give the group a chance to experience ‘total darkness.’ Deep in the earth is a good place to experience that sort of gloom, and it’s a darkness so thick you can actually feel it. It pervades your senses and makes you long for the surface with its associated daylight and normality.

And yet caves are where G_d has done some of His most important work in the Bible. Think of David in the cave of Adullam, and how the time he spent in that particular cave inspired him to write the 142nd Psalm. Elijah had a cave-experience on Mount Sinai, and G_d used that cave to teach Elijah (and us) a valuable lesson about giving up and thinking we are on our own. Jesus died on the cross, and where did they place his body? In a cave. But it couldn’t hold him and three days later he rose again. An angel rolled away the stone that covered the entrance to educate His disciples and the women of the fact that He was no longer there - He had risen! There are other caves mentioned in the Bible; many of the Patriarchs were buried in the cave at Machpelah, and Lot and his daughters resided in a cave following the fall of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Many times in life I’ve found myself in caves (figuratively of course) of my own making. There have been bad patches and dark places along my path, some of which caused me to lose my focus on almost everything - including my faith. Sometimes you can simply feel as though life has dealt you a dirty hand. It happens to all of us and eventually we all spend some time in the cave. Problems at work, broken relationships, misguided trust, and overall disappointment can lead us there. Why a cave? A cave is a good, safe place to hide out and separate yourself from problems you do not wish to face. A cave is a ready-made environment for a procrastinator. I’ll face my boss tomorrow. I’ll discuss the issue with my spouse again in the morning. Someone hurt my feelings so I’ll just avoid them from now on. I did my best on that project and it didn’t work out; might as well not spend any more time or effort on it. I'm nervous about giving the devotion in church next week, so I'll lead a hymn and have the benediction right after we sing. (kidding!)

Finding yourself in a cave is no mean feat because it’s easy to get there. The real trick is getting out of the cave once you realize you’re there. David figured it out: “I cried unto the LORD with my voice; with my voice unto the LORD did I make my supplication. I poured out my complaint before him; I shewed before him my trouble.” Is it ever good to complain to G_d? These verses have convinced me that it is.

So many times I pray and ask G_d for things, and I also do my utmost to thank Him for my countless blessings. I try to remember to praise Him for all He has done in my life at the same time. But to complain to Him seldom crosses my mind in my daily spiritual walk. I forget that I am His child, and therefore He has an interest in everything I say and do, as well as what I think at any particular moment. When the problems of life pay a visit and I’m overcome by doubt and fear, that is when I need to call on Him and not merely trust in my own instincts and skill-set to get me by. Because due to my personality traits, I’ve found I’m quick to withdraw into a cave of my own making, and that’s when the trouble starts. I get accustomed to the safety of the cave, and I not only get used to the darkness but I welcome it. For a little while, that is, until I realize I’ve lost the connection with all of the things that are important in life. It’s usually around that time when I begin to feel my prayers are going no further than the ceiling, and I’m completely out of touch with my Heavenly Father.

When I find myself in that situation, I’ve learned to complain to G_d. I’ll pour my heart out to Him in words that closely resemble David’s own words in the psalm I quoted above. I show Him all of my troubles although I’m certain He already knows all about them. And though it may seem petty to me, I know that my heart is precious to Him. And it helps me get out of that cave and back into the sunlight of His Love, which is where I belong and what I was created for in the first place.