David Overcomes the Cave of Troubles

In Psalm 142 David is with a tough crowd and what did this tough crowd around David do to him? They depressed him! How did David, so prone to doubt, discouragement and depression—overcome this hard, troublesome time? Psalm 142 holds the key! 

David suffers intense loneliness as he feels abandoned while he begins to live and work with a tough crowd. In First Samuel 22:1-2 as he moved into a cave at Adullam with an incredibly difficult group of men.

What simple lessons can we find in cave times? Use lonely times to grow. One of the greatest truths we can discover is that lonely times usually accomplish great discoveries about God. David is at the depth of loneliness. He has been on the run for years and now he is hiding in a desolate cave in a crowd of malcontents, feeling very much alone. He has two choices. Stay in the cave of loneliness, descend into self-pity and sin or look up and use the time alone to grow.  

Cave times are when life reduces to a vicious swirl. It becomes getting up, going through the day and dropping into bed exhausted only to fall further behind instead of ahead!  

Trapped in a cave David sat with four hundred fellow fugitives. That’s his address in Psalm 142. From the cave of Adullam he looks up and discovers some great truths about God. So can we. 

DAVID SINGS OF THIRSTING AND FINDING GOD WHEN I AM DISCOURAGED 

Psalm 142 is the classic confession of David when he was a caveman, alone and depressed. God satisfied him completely as he discovered great things about God. Remember, a heart that flees to God for refuge, will always be satisfied. That is the summary of the Life of David. What do we find as we examine the life of David? DAVID was always fleeing to Christ as his refuge. And this is THE SECRET OF A LIFE THAT IS SATISFIED AT ALL TIMES. In this overview of the dark days in David’s life, we see how his needs were always met by the Lord.

Cave times are usually accompanied by great distress. (v. 3-4 )

• Psalm 142:3-4 3 When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, Then You knew my path. In the way in which I walk They have secretly set a snare for me. 4 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. 

In the middle of great troubles there are usually some associated symptoms of depression.

• 1^st David felt OVERWHELMED IN SPIRIT (v.3a): "Roof caving in!"; "Everything going wrong at once!"; "Always happens to me!"; "Not now!"; "I have some bad news" 
• 2^nd David thought his adversaries had HIDDEN A TRAP FOR ME  (v.3b): "They're all after me"; "I've been railroaded"; "Framed" 
• 3^rd David feared that NO ONE REGARDS ME  (v.4a): "No one called"; "I'm a nobody"; "Poor me"; "I'm all alone" 
• 4^th NO ESCAPE FOR ME   (v.4b): "One-way trip to nowhere"; "You're TOO old"; "I'm sorry but the qualifications for this position" 
• Finally, NO ONE CARES FOR MY SOUL (v.4c) 

Have you ever let THESE DEADENING THOUGHT CROSS YOUR MIND? They will bring gloom as fast as a storm front in a summer thunderstorm. But hold on – 

Cave times usually accomplish great discoveries about God (v. 5-7 )

• Psalm 142:5-7  5 I cried out to You, O Lord:I said, “You are my refuge, My portion in the land of the living. 6 Attend to my cry, For I am brought very low; Deliver me from my persecutors, For they are stronger than I. 7 Bring my soul out of prison, That I may praise Your name; The righteous shall surround me, For You shall deal bountifully with me.” 

Why don’t you take a moment and mark these for someone else who may need them someday. Or even for you if you hit the dust. How's your world? Caving in? David is here pursuing the only source of hope again. This was illustrated in the life of David. I Samuel 22:1-2 is the setting for Psalm 142 and the Cave of Adullam. What a great help that Psalm is when we are hurting. 

Guess what David does? Psalm 142:5-7 is the answer.    

In Psalm 142 we see him calling on God because of an unmistakable hope God was hearing.

-                  David stood for God because he was concerned for God’s name.

-                  David depended on God because he trusted God‘s caring.

-                  David magnified God because he acknowledged God watching.

-                  David called on God because he hoped God was hearing. 

As we look there, why don’t you take a moment and mark these for someone else who may need them someday. Or even for you if you ever feel the twinge of loneliness in your life. Look now and find: 

• When alone I learn that You alone are my true REFUGE. Psalm 142:5a: loneliness means its time to flee to the Lord my Refuge. I will believe Your promise and turn to You as my Refuge right now.
• When alone I learn that You alone are my true PORTION. Psalm 142:5b:  loneliness means its time to feed on the Lord my Portion. I will believe Your promise to be all I need in this hard time.
• When alone I learn that You alone are my true LISTENER. Psalm 142:6 'Give heed my cry': loneliness means its time to speak to the Lord my Master. I will believe Your promise and pour out all my troubles to You who care for me.
• When alone I learn that You alone are my true DELIVERER "bring” Psalm 142:7a:  loneliness means its time to trust in  the Lord my Redeemer. I will believe Your promise and let You rescue me now.
• When alone I learn that You alone are my true OBJECT OF WORSHIP    Psalm 142:7b:  loneliness means its time to offer worship to  the Lord my Lord. I will believe Your promise and worship You even when I don’t feel like it.
• When alone I learn that You alone are my true PROVIDER “surround” Psalm 142:7c:  loneliness means its time to rest in  the Lord my Provider. I will believe Your promise and let You surround me now with everything I need.