Sometimes there seems like there is no more fight left within us to go on any more. Times when there is nothing left, emotionally, physically, spiritually exhausted. On fumes. David hiding in a cave away from Saul and his army who had put all their effort and resources into one thing- kill David! David had been on the run and now in a cave he cries out t0 God and pours out his heart, he feels he has nothing left. Exhausted. “Overwhelmed.”

 “When my spirit {fainted } was overwhelmed within me, You knew my path. In the way where I walk. They have hidden a trap for me.”

1. – I AM OVERWHELMED!

Luther renders this, “When my spirit was in distress.” The Hebrew word rendered “overwhelmed” {“Kal,”} means…

* TO COVER AS A GARMENT;

* then TO BE COVERED WITH DARKNESS, TROUBLE, SORROW and

* then TO LANGUISH,TO FAINT,TO BE FEEBLE. {Psalm 77: Psalm 107:5.}

* The idea here is, that, in his troubles, he had no vigor, no life, no spirit. He did not see how he could escape from his troubles, and he had no heart to make an effort.”- Barnes. Boy, this describes my own battle with my disease, I am so so tired, exhausted and feel I have no fight left in me and cannot make the effort to fight. Barnes quote,”… he had no vigor, no life… no heart to make an effort.” really spoke to my own condition and summarized how this afternoon was for me. Months and months battling but lately, just no vigor to fight…  David had no life left in him, nothing left in the tank, too tired to go on, no energy left to go on. It is like his heart was covered in darkness, depressed, despair, spiritually fainted. The external pressures without were causing David the problems within. To look just at the circumstances can cause any of us to spiral down into that place David was, covered in darkness with sorrow, trouble and to have no courage to go on. To spiritually faint. What to do? How to get out of there if you are there? REMEMBER!!! REMEMBER!! REMEMBER!!

Remember what you have forgotten!!!:) Say what? Remember, David follows up with this note of comfort,…

 2. – REMEMBER GOD KNOWS MY PATH

 IT IS NOT JUST THAT God knows everyone’s path but specifically he is intimately acquainted with “MY Path.” He knows where you are, how you got there, where you are going. REMEMBER GOD KNOWS YOU. GOD IS INTIMATELY ACQUAINTED WITH YOU! REMEMBER GOD KNOWS! You  are not unknown, unseen by Him who has promised,”I am with you whereverr you go… I will never leave you nor forsake you…” {Joshua 1:9; Hebrews 13:5}

 3. REMEMBER GOD KNOWS THE ENEMIES DEVICES

“They have laid a trap for me,” Their whole goal is to take David down like an animal, to trap him, “BUT GOD…”  knows all. It does not matter what traps the enemy places, God knows and David ends up with these three beautiful words, “LORD,..REFUGE…PORTION…”

 4. REMEMBER THE LORD – v5 ” I cry to you, O LORD; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”

FEED Your soul on the TRUTH about God…. Who is…

 A. – “LORD”– The word speaks of Master, OWNER, Sovereign, King! Say no more!  “THE LORD,” not Saul nor his henchmen are in authority. Saul has a little “k” in “king” the LORD Capital “K” There is none above Him, none to compete alongside Him for ALL are under His feet!  He is Sovereign. The last five letters of “Sovereign,” spell”R-E-I-G-N.’ He reigns, there is nothing not under His control. Though we do not understand all, and we live in a fallen world where evil exists ultimately He will right it all in His time in His way. All things are in subjection to Him. For the believer, His follower , through and only through His grace through the blood and sacrifce of Jesus Christ on your behalf, and His Resurrection to show forth his sacrifice was accepted by God and hundreds testified to His resurrection, when He appeared to more than five hundred.” {1 Corinthians 15:6}. It is Him in whom every knee shall bow and tongue confess that Jesus is LORD- {Philippians 2:9-10.}. REMEMBER THE LORD! Her lives to opened the Red Sea, He conquered sin, satan, the grave and is resurrected Lord, seated in majesty and ever lives to interced for you. Think on Him. Train your mind to think on Him, His Word, His power, His promises, which are “precious and magnificent,”  and are gifted to you to be applied.{2 Pet 1:3-4}. Remember the LORD!  Jeremiah said, “Ah, my Lord God! You made the heavens and the earth with your great power and your outstretched arm; nothing is too difficult for you.”-{Jer 32:17}

 B. – “REFUGE”- The LORD out of grace and mercy had at one time sat up several cities of “Refuge” in Israel, so that if someone had accidentally killed someone if they could get to one of those cities they would be SAFE,SECURE And could not be touched! But David uses this beautiful description of the LORD- It is not a Place, be it a city or a Cave But A PERSON- THE LORD HIMSELF Who is the place of SECURITY AND SAFETY for David. REMEMBER the LORD IS YOUR REFUGE!

 C.- “PORTION.”- The LORD was David’s PORTION- his PROVISION, his Sustenance and SATISFACTION. The LORD was all he needed, for in Him was all that he needed! REMEMBER YOUR PORTION! THE LORD IS !

THINK ON TRUTH and REMEMBER the LORD. He is Sovereign. He is your Security. He is your Satisfaction.

Strength,– inner strength comes only to the faint of heart when we cry out to Him pour out our heart, our troubles and then FOCUS ON WHO HE IS!!!

 REMEMBER The LORD knows Who you are, where you are, how you got there, what your opposition is, He has all that under control. He knows the beginning from the end- and for His own according to His Word, it ends well, – eternity with Him! You need to REMEMBER WHAT YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN- REMEMBER WHO HE IS- REMEMBER Him.

 You too, like David, may know times when you are faint hearted , overwhelmed, in deep despair, no courage to go on and feeling all alone. REMEMBER THE LORD!

ARE YOU “OVERWHELMED?”

REMEMBER The LORD knows! REMEMBER The LORD knows where you are, how you got there, where you are going. REMEMBER The LORD knows your enemies traps. REMEMBER The LORD knows and Cares. YOU? REMEMBER  -THE LORD,- IS {present tense and eternally} – YOUR REFUGE- YOUR PORTION!

FEED your soul on HIM…Think on His Character. TRUTH sets us free, builds us up and gives us hope, in the cave!

YOU HAVE A MINISTRY TO IMPART;

ENCOURAGE OTHERS of His Character. Impart hope to them through your time of deep , deep pain and hurt and how to REMEMBER the LORD specifically Who He is-  “LORD ,” Your Refuge and Your Portion.  2 Corinthians 1:3 -4- ” The Father of mercies and God of ALL COMFORT…who comforts us in all our affliction SO THAT WE WILL BE ABLE to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” God can use your pain which He has comforted you in and Commissions you to comfort others with His comfort!

God works all things together for good to those who love Him and are the called. And He knows you love Him. The good is to conform us into His image{Romans 8:28-29}. TESTIFY TO OTHERS OF HIM!

YOU HAVE A STORY TO TELL…

David TELLS his story- he writes it down and countless millions down the centuries have read the story of a man in a difficult, depressing place, who cries out to God. He remembers who He is and in his cry for deliverance, it is not deliverance for deliverance sake but that he may PROCLAIM HIM – Testify of Him to others…. and God has used him to testify to me, to you that He can be trusted in the hard times, the times that overwhelm us… REMEMBER  You too have a story to tell …God can take your story and encourage maybe one other person, or He may use your story to encourage and comfort many, But know for Certain you have a story to tell . TESTIFY TO OTHERS OF HIM! You have a story to tell. You are a Story… THAT POINTS TO THE LORD!