Psalms: Problem and Answers

Today while I was doing my bible study out of the corner of my eyes I noticed the explanation summary for Psalm 142.  The summary said, and I quote,:

"A prayer when overwhelmed and desperate.  When you feel cornered by our enemies, only God can keep us safe." (Life Application Bible; NIV; Zondervan)

This book was written by David while he was in the cave.  Feeling stressed out and desperate he prayed:

"When my spirit grows faint within me it is you who watch over my way,  In the path where I walk people have hidden a snare for me.  Look and see, there is no one at my right hand; no one is concerned for me.  I have no refuge; no one cares for my life." (NIV) (Psalm 142:3-4)

Have you ever felt like that?  As if you are suffocating from the problems in your life and that there is no one there to help you? What do you do when you feel this way?

David says: "I cry out to the Lord; I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy,  I pour out before him my complaint; before him I tell my trouble."

Jesus left us the gift of prayer so that we could speak to God on a one on one basis any time of day or night.  So, when there is no else who is there for  us we can always, like David said, we can pour out our complaints before God.

So, when you feel distraught with no one else to talk to take it to God in prayer.

S. O. A. P

During my daily quiet time with God I am always looking for a way to better understand his word in order to grow closer to Him.  So, I prayed to God to give me a better understanding of his way.

The answer came to me one day while I was watching a video and a woman was explaining how to use the acronym S.O .A,P. 

Letter by letter the acronym means Scripture, Observation, Observation, and Prayer.

Scripture: Write down the scripture that you are trying to understand,

Observation: Where, when, why, and under what circumstances was the verse said or written.

Assessment: How does the verse affect you in your life or any given situation that you are in.

Prayer:  Ask God to give you understanding of the verse or praise him for giving you understanding,

This occurred a few days ago.  Since then I have adjusted it to fit me and my daily Bible study,  I do not always use the O (Observation) part of the acronym.  So instead of the acronym spelling SOAP it now spells SAP: Scripture, Assessment, Prayer.

I hope that this helps you in understanding God's words.  Please feel free to adjust it according to your needs.