In his film, “Johnny Cash: The Redemption of an American Icon,” Pastor Greg Laurie describes the time when Mr. Cash had reached the lowest point of his life and career. He had become addicted to pills, leading to erratic and hostile behavior that cost him his first marriage, a relationship with his children, being kicked out of the Grand Ole Opry, loss of revenue, missed concerts, and the feeling that he had let God down so much that he felt isolated and forever cut off from any contact with Him.
He then decided that it was best to end it all and die. He crawled into a cave outside of Hendersonville, Tennessee, until he could no longer see the light outside. There, in the dark, he would find someplace to lie down and let nature take its toll. God had a different idea. That cave was where Johnny Cash got his heart right with the Lord. From that time on, he was sold out to Jesus. There would be rough roads and setbacks along the way, but his faith in Jesus did not waver. His musical career was at its peak when he died in 2003. The cave that he thought would be his tomb instead became the symbol of a renewed life.
The image of a cave with its darkness, multiple hazards, unexpected dangers, and uncertainty is a perfect illustration of the periods of spiritual and emotional darkness that hit us at times throughout our lives. Caves symbolize the dark night of our soul when it seems that nothing goes right and there is apparently no rhyme or reason for what is happening. Our emotions are placed on foundations of sand, and it looks like the best decision we can make is to give up and cast our fate to the wind.
When we read about the life and times of David in 1 and 2 Samuel, we see that the young shepherd who would be king has gone through a series of highs and lows in his life that tested his resolve, character, courage, and trust in God who had chosen him to be the next king of Israel. By Chapter 22 of 1st Samuel, David finds himself not in the palace of Saul but hiding for his life in a cave, possessing nothing, and at rock bottom.
The Scriptures describe what is going on with David at this time:
“David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. So, when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. Everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So, he became captain over them. There were about four hundred men with him. Then David went from there to Moab, and he said to the king of Moab, ‘Please let my father and mother come here with you till I know what God will do for me.’ So, he brought them before the king of Moab, and they dwelt with him all the time that David was in the stronghold” (1 Samuel 22:1-4, NKJV).
David left the region of Gath after pretending to be insane before King Achish (21:12-15) in a desperate attempt to find a place of refuge from the threats and rage of Saul. David went to hide in the “cave of Adullam,” located in the land of Judah, southwest of Bethlehem. He was on familiar ground, and after a time, people began to show up there. First, his family came, and then the defeated and downtrodden men of Israel came to join David as well. These people had become afraid of Saul and realized that God’s hand was on David. They trusted David, and God used this motley bunch to show David that He still had a plan for him.
Oftentimes, it is when we are at the lowest point of life, where we think that all is lost is when God shows up and does His best work in our lives. We are no longer focused on our abilities, talents, or outside support because they have all been taken away. If we are open to God’s leadership and place our trust in His direction, we see that His way is best and to trust in Him to provide for us. David could have “thrown in the towel,” so to speak, and left Israel for good, despondent and bitter. Instead, he knew somehow that God would make something good out of the quagmire that looked impossible to solve.
David’s reaction is a sign of maturity and faith that seems to be missing in most believer’s lives today. We have been used to the world and even some “ministers” telling us that we need to “pull ourselves up by our bootstraps” and that “if it is to be, it is up to me.” Sometimes that works, but more often, we think that God is not concerned with what we think are “little issues” of life. We have the idea that we can work everything out on our own. That is usually when disaster comes into our lives at full speed.
It is when we do not give our situations over to God, whether great or small, that we find ourselves short of faith, trust, and confidence that He is our Provider, Sustainer, and Source of all we need. David could have trusted in his skills, his intelligence, his strength, or his cunning to get him out of the cave and the dark situation that encompassed him.
Even in this low point, he saw that God was shaping his character, helping him to learn the skills and leadership style expected of a true king of the people. God wanted David to be the role model of absolute trust in and love for God that Israel needed to see and experience for itself. God wanted to show David that it is a love for Him and the people that would mold him into the greatest king Israel would ever have.
David was a warrior with a heart for God and a desire, even in the bad times, to please Him and show that His love is everlasting, will never fail, and will get us through both good and bad situations if we will but place our faith in Him, even when we find ourselves in the caves of despair and despondency. Character, maturity, and faith are often built to quality standards when we are in the caves, and it is when we emerge into the light that we are ready to face the challenges that demonstrate to the world that we serve a mighty God to Whom all praise and glory belong.