Ps 142 3"When my spirit grows faint within me, it's you who know my way". The Psalmist tells us that we are born into a world of pain and suffering, where conflicts continue all around us. To be successful, you must overcome the challenges and temptations within yourself, and also the challenges and temptations posed by the external world. But the more important question is whether or not we should focus on carving out our own individual lives on our own, or whether we should try to do what is morally advisable and help others as well. In a world where only we are corruptible, our wickedness perpetuates itself. Accordingly, there is a more obvious inevitability that we face than we can adequately deal with. As we live in a sinful world, we come to understand the evil that is unavoidable. Life is a difficult process filled with pain and loss. We constantly struggle to keep our innocence and keep our hearts pure, but it is ultimately impossible to do so forever. The Psalmist sings to God of the natural order in which humans were designed to live in a perfect world without opposition. However, if there was no pervasive appearance of evil, we would not become violent. When we are children, we are innocent and unsuspecting. We don't know the thoughts and actions that are wicked and terrible. We rely on our trusted parents to satisfy our physical and emotional demands satisfactorily. We are spared the devastation of a cursed world, and we enjoy the serene clarity of unbroken chastity. One person who knows us well is essential for our wellbeing. When we are faced with danger from both within and without, we become deprived. God sees us exactly as we should be, in an idealized state of perfection. He follows us without trying to impede our movements. There is no doubt that an unchanging, absolute God exists. This is a tranquil and peaceful place where all is calm and serene. No one knows our beginning or end with certainty, but they always take care of us in a way that accomplishes God's divine purposes. He exceeds our highest expectations and we are fulfilling our part of the covenant we made with him. To understand desire, we must never experience evil. The Psalmist is declaring that the decrease in the number of moral people has diminished us. When we are unfamiliar with the great value and worth of virtue, we are forced to reluctantly accept the political standards of this sinful and agonizing world. No stress exists in God's perfect world; it is a place of absolute peace. This is why the law punishes the most petty of crimes. We cannot escape our moral challenges until all the dangers of depravity and sin we voluntarily come into contact with are eliminated. The constitutional truth is that we are protected by God from any harm. Since we were designed to live peacefully in a world without chaos, we react with complete disregard for the appearance of rampant depravity. Morality represents the critical danger that hangs over us. Evil is forced to endure the presence of a highly corrupted nature, which greatly detracts from our unique merits. As the all-pervasive appearance of evil destroys us, the psalmist wisely assumes that he cannot reasonably return to the approximate merit of his youthful chastity. He longs to be freed from his captivity, which is well known throughout the land. The Psalmist's insights into the miraculous connections between gifts and circumstances are invaluable. He must find his way back to the divine order that once prevailed in the heathen world. This might require a miraculous event, or it might simply require Him to remain consistent with the divine coherence that already exists. No matter what, He wants to achieve His goals.  7" Set me free from my prison, that I may praise your name. "