What David Can Teach Us About Dealing With Difficult Situations: A study of Psalm 142
Problems and stressful situations chase everyone of us. There isn’t a day that doesn’t have a problem of some sort attached. It’s life and we have to deal with it. But what about when you’ve done everything you know to do and the problem seems to multiply instead of getting better? What are you supposed to do then? I thought about this as I read in the Old Testament about David.
I love David's story. He wasn't perfect. He wasn't loved by everyone. He fell and got back up many times as he went through various problems and situations (trials and tribulations).
Even though David was familiar with various hard seasons, he was blessed his entire life. We remember him not as a man who continually sinned (as we all unfortunately do) but as a man seeking after God's heart (1 Samuel 13:14). Isn’t that the kind of legacy we all want to leave behind?
Psalm 142 in Context
For years David had been unjustly attacked by King Saul. King Saul was a powerful man but was (sadly) spiritually weak. To me, he appears to be ruled by his emotions (his flesh). His anger, bitterness, and jealousy seemed to be aimed solely at David. Saul's hate of David was irrational and all-consuming.
For his part, David seemed to try his best to make things work, even when it meant avoiding Saul. He didn't antagonize or taunt Saul, he didn't argue, fuss, or fight. However, nothing David did seemed to help this situation.
David's situation with Saul would be like having a boss who hated our guts. They found fault with everything we did and found new ways to make our lives miserable. However, most of our bosses aren't trying to actually kill us as Saul was determined to do to David.
On the run from the King, David eventually sought refuge in a cave where he turned to God. Psalm 142 is a powerful prayer. As I studied it, I saw how we can wisely approach not just our problems but lay them at God's feet in prayer. I have been trying to train myself to do both of those things so I greatly appreciated the insight I received from studying this Psalm.
Saul and David's stories can be found throughout 1 & 2 Samuel and 1 & 2 Kings.
What David Did In His Difficult Situation We Can Do Too
Cry Out To God (verses 1-2)
With my voice I cry out to the Lord; with my voice, I plead for mercy to the Lord.
I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him.
David voiced his complaints and concerns about his circumstances to God. He openly expressed his thoughts and feelings, fully admitting that he was overwhelmed with all that was happening.
Maybe that observation (turning to God in prayer) seems a wee bit too simplistic to you, but how often do we find ourselves in a battle and forget to turn to God? How often do we treat turning to God as a last resort instead of our first and best choice?
Many of us are also guilty of beginning to pour out our feelings in prayer only to stop because we feel like God has so many more important things to worry about. So we clam up and hold it in instead of laying it down at Jesus' feet as we are supposed to do.
Friend, we are going to have problems, lots and lots of them. A multitude of problems doesn't mean we are lacking in faith. It doesn't mean God has turned his back on us and it certainly isn't an indicator of His love for us. Problems are the exact opposite of all those things.
The question is, what do you do when the hits keep coming and life's merry-go-round doesn't slow down? Do you put your head down and keep pushing forward with all your might? Do you drop to your spiritual knees and release all the pain, frustration, bewilderment, and anger to God as you humbly ask for His help? Do you hold back your prayers because you believe the lie that the King of kings has better things to do than to hear about your troubles again?
God says, "Come to me all you who are weary, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28-30).
Nowhere in Scripture does God tell us we can't share our fears and frustrations with him. Not once does Scripture indicate that having problems is a sign of your faith level.
It honors God when we are willing to lay ourselves bare and share every part of our life with Him. Paul faced many difficulties and shared this wise insight with us, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition (request), with thanksgiving, present your requests to God". (Philippians 4:6)
Truth (verse 3)
When my spirit faints within me, you know my way! In the path where I walk they have hidden a trap for me.
We all have problems and situations we don't know how to handle or which way to turn. Satan loves to beat us down with problems wrapped in lies. Sadly, we can be more inclined to believe lies than God's truth. I know this and yet I fall for it time and again.
It was comforting to me to see David say, "When my spirit was overwhelmed, you knew my way." As I read this Psalm I came back to that tiny word again and again, when. When it happens, not if it should ever happen.
For the second truth, look again at this verse "When my spirit was overwhelmed, you knew my way." David needed to remind himself that God knew everything about him, even the way he should go. David trusted that even though things didn't seem to be improving, God wasn't confused or dismayed with the problems Saul caused.
David had made it a lifestyle to turn to God in good times and bad. The Holy Spirit reminded him that it was God who was in control. We all get overwhelmed with life. What do your words and actions (habits) say about your focus and faith?
Help Comes From The Lord (verses 3-4)
In the path where I walk, they have hidden a trap for me.
Look to the right and see: there is none who takes notice of me; no refuge remains to me; no one cares for my soul.
Satan sets traps for all of us. Each trap is unique to us and our situation. Sometimes he uses people, (yes, even other Christians), sometimes he uses our situations (our jobs or living situations), sometimes he uses our hopes and dreams, sometimes he uses our thoughts to distract and disorient us.
We don't get to pick how Satan comes after us. What we do get to decide is how we respond to the attacks.
David had turned to others for help when he was on the run. Although they did what they could to help him, nobody had the power to change his situation. But God did.
David prayed. He said, "I know there are traps everywhere I turn. I've tried God, but I can't even seem to find anyone who cares if I am alive or dead. It's like I'm invisible! Only You can help me, God. Only you can provide me with protection and sustain me!"
Have you prayed a prayer like David's? I have. When I was recently going through another prolonged battle, I felt alone and isolated. It felt like no matter what I did to gain my health back, nothing helped. Other than my husband, I didn't feel there was another person on this earth who cared what I was going through. Everyone had their own lives to worry about.
Like David, I had to retrain myself to readjust my focus on God alone as my provider and confidant. I had to accept that people would unintentionally let me down just as I let them down. I also had to understand that I couldn't fix myself. The doctors were guessing (educated guesses are better than my guesses but they are still guesses) and couldn't fix me. I had to trust God when He said He works all things out for the good of those who love him. I had to remind myself again and again (sometimes hourly) that God was enough...even if.
Remembering those truths was where I found the blessing, not in my situation miraculously changing.
Who do you turn to when you find yourself struggling? Who or what do you place your trust in? Do your words and actions show that you truly believe God works all things for good?
Renewed Faith (Verses 5-7)
I cry to you, O Lord; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”
Attend to my cry, for I am brought very low! Deliver me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me!
Bring me out of prison, that I may give thanks to your name! The righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me.
David continued to adjust his thinking to be in line with God's. How? By reminding himself of who God is and what God has already done. He reminded himself that God knew him and what he was going through. He reminded himself that God never stopped caring. He reminded himself that our one true hope is God.
Becoming obsessive about what we are going through is not helpful. It gains us nothing but wasted time and an open invitation for the enemy of our soul to continue his attack.
Forcing yourself to turn your thoughts away from your problems and towards God is a choice. I'm not suggesting you ignore your problems. David didn't. He made the decision to focus and stand on God's truth; God can (and would) rescue him.
David decided to praise God even though his situation hadn't changed. We can't let our problems and emotions become bigger than God's hand of love. Have you taken the bold step to praise and worship God even in the middle of your mess?
Although it deserves its own post, I want to point out something David said in verse 6, "my persecutors are too strong for me." It's true. They are.
We need God's help because Satan and his army are stronger than we are. They will kick our rear ends and gleefully keep coming back for more. We can scream and stomp our feet, but our outrage doesn't faze them. They don't play nice just because we are made in the image of God. Actually, for that very reason, they despise us and would like nothing better than to smash us into the ground.
The enemy is not stronger than God. Only the power of God can defend us and defeat the enemy.
Concluding Thoughts
Just as God gave David the opportunity to learn through his changing situations, He is giving us an equal opportunity. Like David, we must make moment-by-moment choices because life will always be filled with tension, problems, and hard times. God uses these situations to grow us spiritually and to develop our character. He uses them to draw us time and again to Him.
Yet, when it feels like we are doing everything we can possibly do and our situation doesn't seem to change for the better, how we handle ourselves matters, maybe even more than the problem we are dealing with.
We can try to handle it ourselves, or we can fight the good fight of faith and keep on with what we know despite what we see.
David chose to mentally, physically, and spiritually regroup as he hid in a cave. Chances are, our hiding place will be more spiritual than physical. Not many of us have caves nearby, nor do we have the ability to hide out in our homes for extended periods.
But if we desire to grow closer to God and be used for His kingdom purposes, we will have battles and choices to make just as David did; will we turn on God or turn to God in our times of trouble?
Let's Pray
Heavenly Father, you are good, kind, righteous, and loving. There is nothing your eyes do not see, and your ears do not hear. You see my situation from start to finish and you aren't undone by any of it. I know you are here with me, even in the dark loneliness and pain of my current situation.
Lord, I ask that you help me abide closer to you through the storms. Help me to gain a greater understanding of your love for me, a greater understanding of who you are, and of the power of your presence as I abide in the shelter of your loving arms.
God, sometimes my spirit is overwhelmed. It's at those times that I forget none are greater than you. I need your perspective in this on situation, Lord. Help me to see you instead of the endless problems I face.
And Lord, I want to take the time to thank you for all that I have been through already. I don't want to downplay it, forget your goodness, or keep thinking negatively about it. It is my desire to always remember the good that you have brought me through. Not once did you abandon me. Thank you once again for reminding me of that fact. In the mighty name of Jesus, Amen!
