Psalm 142 is titled, Maschil of David; A Prayer when he was in the cave.  Maschil means instruction.  This is a lesson from David.  It is possible this psalm was written when he was in the cave of Adullam (1 Samuel 22), but more likely while in the cave of En-gedi (1 Samuel 24).  It certainly was a time of difficulty in his life.  Charles Spurgeon stated, "Had David prayed as much in his palace as he did in his cave, he might never have fallen into the act which brought such misery upon his later days."  Are you staying in close relationship with the Lord through prayer?  Most believers pray very little, when we should be praying much!  Stay and remain close to God by having a consistent prayer life.

This morning the Spirit of God instructed me to realize David was overwhelmed in his spirit (vs. 3), isolated from the help of others (vs. 4), and that the Lord was his only refuge, he turned to God in prayer (vs. 1-3 & 5-7)

Notice Psalm 142:1-2, "I cried unto the LORD with my voice; with my voice unto the LORD did I make my supplication. 2 I poured out my complaint before him; I shewed before him my trouble." David didn't simply pray, he cried out to God.  We can pray silently, and often do so, but crying out to God vocally reflects that a person is fervent and serious in his prayer.  James reminds us, "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (James 5:16) David Sorenson says, "In not making the effort to articulate our troubles to the Lord, we rob ourselves of effectiveness in prayer."  Are you learning to articulate your prayers and what is going on in your heart before the Lord?

Psalm 142:3, "When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path."   There are those days in our lives when we are overwhelmed in our spirit just like David.  The greatest encouragement is for us to remind ourselves of the facts that God knows our path.  God is a personal God, who knows everything about us.  You can take courage in the fact that God knows where you are, and He knows exactly how to lead you through the minefields of life.  We can trust Him and depend completely upon Him.

Psalm 142:4-5, "I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul. 5I cried unto thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living." Typically, it is in our darkest hours, that we are overwhelmed with aloneness.  Circumstances, if we allow, will rob of us the confidence and awareness that God is forever present with us.  There came a time in David’s life when he seemed all alone in the world. If you feel as though you are all alone, make sure to embrace the promise of God, He will never leave us or forsake us.  David's refuge and resort were God, and so too God is our refuge and strength.

Finally, notice Psalm 142:6-7, More of David’s plea is set forth. "Attend unto my cry; for I am brought very low: deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I. 7Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name."

David appeals to God because of the lowness of the moment, and because his foes were stronger than him.  Our fight is more of a spiritual battle as you know, Ephesians 6:12 says, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." In verse 7 David asks the Lord for deliverance, acknowledging that once realized, he would praise God, he would be surrounded by righteous people, for he was assured the Lord would deal bountifully with him.

May you spend time today meditating upon the precious Word of God.

Your Friend and HIS,

Pastor Abbott

MEDITATIONS

1. How would you evaluate your prayer life? Is it active and growing, or passive and waning?

2. Have you ever been overwhelmed in your spirit? How did you handle this condition?

3. Do you spend enough time in God’s Word? How does this impact you?