Look on my right hand and see, for there is no one who acknowledges me; refuge has failed me; no one cares for my soul. I cried out to You, O LORD; I said, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”
David experienced the full effect of loneliness. No one was at his right hand. He had no “right hand man” so to speak–a friend next to him for support and comfort. He had no refuge. No place to run. And no one cared for his soul. Whoa. David may have had lots of people around him but no one really cared for him. No one really knew him or made an effort to minister to his soul.
Ever felt like that? It is amazing that we can live in the midst of our family, our church, and our world and still feel totally alone…like no one really knows us…like no one really cares for us on the “soul level.” I find it interesting that David ends this psalm by praying, “Bring my soul out of prison that I may praise Your name.” That is quite a picture. David’s soul felt like it was in prison…isolated and confined. Sometimes the trials of life put our soul in prison. Sometimes we put it there ourselves simply choosing to isolate ourselves and hide our true soul from others. We want someone to care for our soul but, at the same time, we are afraid to open the door to let anyone in.
In the midst of his loneliness, David cries out to God. “You are my refuge, O LORD!” We may not have an earthly refuge but we always have an eternal one. “You are my portion in the land of the living.”
What does it mean that “God is our portion”? It echoes back to God’s words to the Levites who were given no land or inheritance in the Promised Land (Deut. 18:1-2). Instead God was to be their portion…He was to be their sole possession, their security, their inheritance. Thus to say that God is your portion is to say, “I have nothing here on earth but I have the Lord. And He is enough.” The good news is that when we come to this point, God often surrounds us with the righteous (142:7), with people who care for our souls as we care for theirs.