How’s The Pity Party?

“Look to my right and see; no one is concerned for me.  I have no refuge; no one cares for my life.” Psalm 142:4

Pretty pitiful, eh?  To be honest… there have been times when I’ve been able to completely relate to the way David was feeling when he wrote this.  My guess is that you’ve had those times, too.

• Times when you were desperate to feel loved and valued.
• Times when life overwhelmed you.
• Times when you felt cornered by your enemies.

When David penned this Psalm, he was hiding in caves from Saul who was on a mission to kill him.  David was losing hope of escaping with his life!  He was feeling alone and fearful.

David had a pity party.

Now I am not saying it wasn’t without cause!  When the enemy pursues us at full-bore… it can knock us down and cause us to roll into a fetal position of self-protection.  When we are so oppressed, it’s easy to begin the spiral of self-pity.

But that isn’t Kingdom living.

I wonder… have you ever been invited to or attended one of my pity parties?  It’s quite an affair.  It looks something like this…

• I cry a river so my make-up smears (nice dramatic effect)
• I refuse to talk about it one minute and then purge every emotion known to mankind in the next
• I use it as an excuse to not shower or clean the house
• I snap at everything my family says causing them to live in fear of inviting the wrath of mom upon them
• I feel sorry for myself and my sad, miserable existence (as if!)

Oh, I’m sure I’m leaving something out.  Is there anything you can add from your own “party” experience?

The problem is that this isn’t the life God calls us to.  Throughout the Bible, we read where people cried out to God in their distress… rather than wallow in it.   They boldly asked Him to provide relief and deliverance.  They confessed their own part in the situation… and then waited for God to act.

Rather than throw a pity party, they prayed about it.

Sometimes it takes me a while to get to that point.  There are times I am so down that prayer doesn’t come naturally or easily.  In certain situations, I almost enjoy the pity party… at least for a while.

Did I really just share that?

I pray I get to the point of crying out to God faster.  Do you need that, too?  When we do…

• we’ll pull out of our tailspin faster.
• we will gain a better perspective on the situation.
• our family and friends won’t be afraid to be around us.
• we will set a better example for our children.
• God will honor our request.

David provides such a strong example of trusting God enough to cry out to Him for help.  Let’s learn from him!  The next time you feel a “party” coming on… there should only be one person on the invite list. 

God.

©2010 careyscotttalks.com