OUT OF THE SLIMY PIT

In one of the Psalms the psalmist writes, "He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.“. Have you ever been rescued from a situation as grave as being stuck and unable to get out? If you have, then you can relate to what David is saying in Psalms 40:2. Actually David had been in many pits in his life as he struggled with his relationship with Saul, his royal position as King and his dysfunctional family. But, he also understood the freedom of being released from those pits that often times felt as though they were slowing consuming him. While David’s pits may not have been the kind of pits that you may find yourself in or an actual muddy pit; the feelings he had, were so strong that he felt that he could compare them to what it must be like to actually being in stuck in a pit, just about to sink. Whatever it was that David was feeling at the time, we know that his troubles seemed to be beyond even the greatest human effort that he had access to at that time and proved only to be futile in handling them himself.

Like sinking in quick sand, David found that the more he struggled over his situation the worse it became and the more his situation drew him deeper into the pit. In his writing David was trying to create and convey his deep understanding of what it is like to plunge down into despair and what can appear to be, an impossible situation. We know that many of the things that caused David to feel the way he did stemmed from the effects of opposition from others be it friend or foe, from a military defeat or simply the effect of wrong choices made during the course of his lifetime. Not really knowing the cause of his Psalms 40:2 pit is actually to our advantage though. Because without knowing what it was that made David feel that way, allows us a window of sympathy and compassion to know that while we have also gone through trying times, we are encouraged that we too can come out on the other side; freed, once the trouble passes.

Where is your place of absolute impossibility today sweet friend? In a relationship, a habit, a wrong choice or a relapse of a past sin or situation that you cannot seem to get over?  Is someone opposing you? You never meant it to become what it has become. At first it was harmless, nonthreatening, but now you are stuck in it and feel the mud and mire covering you with darkness and depression. You wish there was a way out! If so, may I tell you that those are the very things that God is best at! Pulling us up and rescuing us when we cannot rescue ourselves. However, for Him to get to us, we must move out of His way and allow Him to work the way He wants to in our lives and not in accordance to how we want to instruct Him to do. The secret to receiving His help is found in Psalm 40:1 and says, “I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry”. You see the problem is that God knows that we need Him; we are the ones that need to learn that concept and learning comes so many times through trials and tribulations, pain and even heartbreak. If God places you in an impossible situation, He has a divine plan for your rescue. But you must call on Him, and wait for Him to show up and know this: He is never too late for those that cry out to Him with the right heart attitude. So, remember, when you cannot see a way out, look to Him, He has the tools needed to get you to safety.

Hold Fast,

-Bren