Well, we are beginning week 3...can you believe it!
I am typing on a different laptop tonight. So, I will probably have a lot of mistakes...please forgive me!!!
Today's Treasure:
"I pour out my complaint before Him; before Him I tell my trouble. When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who know my way" (Ps. 142: 2 - 3)
David is still on the run, and he has reached a point where he is desperate for God to come down to him. Boy, do I know how he feels. There is one huge difference between David and I in these verses. David feels abandoned by everyone that cares for his life. I feel uplifted and surrounded by all of you.
Read 1 Samuel 22: 1 - 5
What did David's family do when they heard he was at the cave of Adullam?
They went to him
Describe David's "flock" of people from verse 2
All those that were in distress, in debt or discontented
In verse 3, David asked the king of Moab if his parents could stay with him for awhile. Why do you think he would request this instead of sending them back to Bethlehem?
I think he was fearful for their lives. If Saul found out they knew where David was, he would probably kill them.
I can't imagine how it must have felt to literally hide in a cave. There have been times when I thought it might be nice to run and hide. However, I don't think it would have been all that great to be alone once I got there. I am sure David's surroundings did not aid his state of mind.
Read Psalm 142
true/false statements
False - I should not pray for myself; I should only pray for the needs of others
False - Bringing my complaint to God is inappropriate
True - God cares how I feel
False - Asking to be rescued from my peril is unspiritual
Psalm 142: 1 says:
"I cry aloud to the Lord"
What was David's comfort when his spirit grew "faint within" him?
The God who knows his way
In one sentence state what you believe to be the theme of Psalm 142
David has nowhere else to turn but to God, and he begs God to be his refuge and salvation
What two results did David believe his deliverance would bring?
David would praise God's name
The righteous would gather around him because of God's goodness
David had six responses to his circumstances. Each of them was significant in his relationship with God.
1. He prayed - We are to turn to God in prayer for everything. We are to use it as a tool to praise him, to love him, to share our emotions with him and to open our needs up to him. Pray is a way for us to maintain our personal relationship with God. It is vital to living daily with Him. Very often we tend to turn to friends and ask questions before we turn to Him in prayer. Isn't He the one with all the answers?
2. David cried aloud - holding our deepest emotions in can be a dangerous thing. It can destroy us inside and out. I cannot count how many times I have just broken down in tears and cried aloud since my diagnosis. I am not really looking for someone around me to "fix" me. I just need to get the emotions that are too difficult to handle out of my body. Last night, I actually cried out to God. I sobbed harder than I have in weeks. Brian held me and prayed over me as I cried too hard to catch my breath. I know God was embracing me and catching every tear that fell!!!
3. David poured out his complaint - I know we all know that God is in control. He is omniscient and omnipotent. He knows the deepest parts of our heart, and He knows what we are feeling. Yet, we need to express it to Him freely. We must open our minds to the willingness to bleed before our God. Voicing your needs and complaints out loud has a healing quality to it.
Psalm 62:8 says
"Trust in Him at all times, O, people; pour out your hearts to him for God is our refuge."
4. David rehearsed his trust in God - You and I both know that David was never truly alone in that cave. Yet, David felt like he was. I am sure we have all had times that we felt very alone, even when we were surrounded by people. Maybe we felt that no one understood what we were going through. Or, maybe we felt no one else cared. The good news is that God cares. He is with us in the darkest part of the cave. He understands everything we feel because He created us.
5. David longed for God's presence - Now this is one response that I can definitely relate to. This was the one that I checked as the one I most often practice in difficult situations. Do you remember how I shared that I felt a need to be at the altar of God on the evening I was diagnosed. I always find myself longing to find the presence of God. I find so much security in feeling His presence. To me, it is the way you feel when you are sick in the bed and you want your mom no matter how old you are. She doesn't really have to do anything. She just has to be there. You want her near you. That is the way I feel when I am distressed. I need to know that God is there. I need to know that He is near me. I can understand David longing for the presence of God.
6. David confessed his desperate need - (Psalm 142: 6) "Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me." Beth points out that this is a man that has killed a lion and a bear with his hands. He has killed Goliath with a stone. Now, he realizes that he is up against a bigger enemy. This enemy works in secret, and that scares David. David knows that it was the strength of the Lord that helped him overcome his enemies in the past. Now, he is turning to the Lord for that strength once more. Don't be ashamed to admit to God that you need His strength. Like any other parent, He wants His child to be safe. I can imagine there is nothing He wouldn't do to help us overcome. We just need to look to Him for the strength. So often we try to handle things on our own. Don't we always want our children to come to us when they need help. We know that experience has taught us how to handle matters that they don't yet understand. Now, isn't it true that our Father is able t handle all matters?
I hope you all enjoyed today as much as I did!!!
Have a great one, and I love all of you!!
Tiffany
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