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Psalm 142:1 Maschil of Daivd; A Prayer when he was in the cave. I cried unto the LORD with my voice; with my voice unto the LORD did I may my supplication. 

Psalm 142: 2 I pour out my complaint before him; I shewed before him my trouble. 

Psalm 142:3 When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked have they privily laid a snare for me. 

Psalm 142:4 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. 

Psalm 142:5 I cried unto thee, O LORD: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living. 

Psalm 142:6 Attend unto my cry; for I am brought very low: deliverme from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I. 

Psalm 142:7 Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me. 

David is in the depths of despair because of those who are against him. He cannot find a true friend to give him refuge in his fellow man. He feels impriosned in the caves (thought to be in either Adullum [1 Samuel 22] or Engedi [1 Samuel 24] when he was being persued by Saul)So David called unto the LORD (Jehovah) to be his refuge and portion. And the LORD would answer David's cry in a few years for the young man to be King of the nation of Israel. 

So can we call on the LORD our God when we are in the depths of despair? Absolutely! We can complain and tell our Lord what we beleive is going on in our life and the people that are against us. After all if David a king can do it, then why can't we? But we should not just leave it at the complaint. We should acknowledge that the Lord is on our side and that he will take care of us. 

And this brings me to another scripture we can turn to when we are in the depths of despair. 

Hebrews 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetuousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said; I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.* 

I know mose of us know about the part that is in bold but have we ever really looked at the first part of the verse. Can it be that we fall into the depths of despair because we say one then and covet another? That we really are not content with the things we have? 

Okay so instead of asking you (as part of the we), let me answer those questions for myself. First is my conversation without covetuousness? If I want to be true then I have to say no. I have no money right now because my Unemployment Compensation ran out (or so the state says) and I have to pay bills. So I tell people one thing and acutally want to use the money for other things as well. You know the old saying: Rob Peter to pay Paul (I don't know why these names are used but...). Well I can literally rob money from my bills to pay for something I think I need. (Though if I get a loan from someone, that money is used just for that reason because it is not my money to begin with and I have to pay that person back.) And that means that I am not content in all things that I have. In there lies much of my despair and depression (though I do suffer from depression in the medical sense as well). 

So can I say that I am like David as noted in the Psalm? Yes and no! What???!!! Why do you say that? Well yes, I am like David in that I am being afflected by an unknown and known force. But I have to say no because, I am not always seeking after the Lord to be my refuge and portion. I am not thinking of him always being with me. But when I see things like the devotional in Insight for Living. As I read this I started to think about what Chuck Swindoll expounded in his devotional for the day. 

Did that make any sense to you? Did I explain what I meant by my yes and no answer? Gosh, I hope so. But back to the Psalm, I know that I should always look to the Lord but at times I loose sight of who has my best interest at heart. It is not man (though the Lord can use some to help) and it definitly not things (they can't pay for things or do stuff for me). No! It is the Lord who looks after me, even when I am not thinking of him. It is he who has not forgotten nor forsaken me; even though I sometimes do that to him. 

What is my prayer during this time? 

Heavenly Father, 

I pray that during these times I am in the depths of despair that I will turn to you. That I will not depend on people or things to help get me out of those depths. That It is you and you alone that will take me to where you want me to be. It will be just as you did with David, and you will lift me on high to glorify your name. 

I pray that all in these depths will look unto you O Lord. That no matter where they are that they (as I) will be content with what they (I) have. That we will not covet things that are not expedient for us. 

I pray we are in your will and in the name of our Lord Jesus. 

I ask that you do not take my word for it. I ask that you read the Word for yourself and see what the Lord has to say to you. And he will talk to you and meet you there. Please be a Berean. 

Love y'all. 

RoseAnn aka Flower of Grace. 

* emphesis is mine to show the part of the verse we all know and recite.