Daily Affirmations - Day 5 - In This Place - The Cave of Distress

Day 5: The cave of distress

I cry to You, Lord; I say, "You are my refuge"

David... escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and his father’s household heard about it, they went down to him there. All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their commander... (1 Samuel 22:1-2).

Faithful God, merciful Father, in all our distresses we find You to be our strength, our rock, our fortress, our deliverer, our refuge, our shield, our salvation, our stronghold (2 Samuel 22:1-3; Psalm 18:2).

Father, it seems like more and more in the world today, we feel the weight of the trouble and suffering all around us. Our prayer lists, our posts, our conversations are all filled with cries of pain, and requests for prayer. And because You invite us to Your throne of grace and urge us to pray for each other, we bring our requests before You, not just for ourselves, but for the broken and the hurting around us.

Today, we pray for the discouraged, the dejected, the defeated. We pray for the fugitive, the hunted, the tired, the overwhelmed, and the hopeless. Remind them all, O Lord, from David's story (1 Samuel 22, 2 Samuel 22), that there is no cave, no pit, no prison, no trap, where Your love and deliverance do not reach.

Show them Your light on the dark path where they walk, so they may know that You are with them, even in this place— this cave of distress. And for those who no longer have the strength, the will, or the faith to pray, let them find hope and encouragement in the "before" and "after" prayers of David:

Before: (Psalm 142)

I cry aloud 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.

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. I cry to you, Lord; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”

Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me.

Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name...

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After: (Psalm 18:3-6, 46; also 2 Samuel 4:7, 47)

“I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and have been saved from my enemies. The waves of death swirled about me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.

The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me.

“In my distress I called to the Lord; I called out to my God. From His temple He heard my voice; my cry came to His ears.

“The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be my God, the Rock, my Savior!"

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Oh Lord, bring hope and healing today.

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