Pslams 40:2 "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."
During the summer in my college days, those of us who stayed in the college town would go out to a river where we would swim and have a good time. As I recall, there were places in the river where we discovered very soft, ooy, gooey mud and our feet would get stuck. The longer we lingered in those pits the more we seemed to sink deeper and deeper. I remember just a little bit of panic setting in until one of my friends came to my rescue. It probably wasn't quick sand but the struggle to climb out from the muddy pit was very real to me.
How do we get ourselves into those slimy pits that we struggle to get out of? How do we get into situations where we've sunken so deeply that we can't find our way out? Very seldom do we fall into trouble. More often than not we walk right into these situations with our eyes wide open thinking that we aren't vulnerable and nothing bad will happen to us. We don't listen to the advice of others and seem to ignore the warning signs that are flashing all around us.
Behind all this denial is the truth that we all want to be like God. We think we are self sufficient, that we can handle life on our own, that we are all knowing and immortal. We have become our own god. God instructs us in Exodus 20:3 that we shall have no other gods before Him so imagine the ache in His heart when He has to sit back and watch our slow demise.
Dear friend, today I am praising God for the pits in life because it is in those pits when we begin to fall apart where God is able to teach us life lessons. It is during those times when we are crying out for help that He has our full attention and the created seeks rescue from the Creator. At our lowest point God reaches down to where we are at desiring to set our feet on solid footings and then seeks to make sure we don't slip. What a precious picture of His love, His grace and His mercy. I envision Him saying, "It's ok now, dear child. I've got you. Take my hand and let's do this together." Nothing goes to waste in God's eyes. He can use any situation and work it all for good for His Kingdom purposes if we will trust Him.
Consider the Lotus flower – “Growing in the mud, yet not smelling of the mire.” This flower actually does grow in the mud. In fact, the deeper the mud, the more beautiful the Lotus blooms. The message I find in this precious flower is that even though we may find our self in the deepest of pits struggling, the power of God in us can turn our life into a sweet-smelling, pleasant-looking offering to Him if we will surrender to Him.
Our God redeems! He turns our ashes into beauty. He takes our darkness and turns into glorious light. He takes our weaknesses, struggles and pain and turns it into strength. He takes our tears and fashions them into joy and fills our heart with praise! What a mighty God we serve! Praise to Him who is all sufficient, all knowing, all powerful and undeniably the best thing that can ever happen to each of us!
___________________________________
Dear Lord,
Protect us, keep us Lord and open our eyes to reality and truth so that we can avoid these slimy pits. When we do slip and we will, forgive us and get our attention. Turn our hearts back to you and show us the way You desire for us to go. Give us the courage and the strength to stand up and continue on. We know that with sin come consequences but I pray that You would walk through those times with us and carry us. Please send people into our lives to walk through the tough times with us. Give us grateful, humble hearts willing to surrender to your ways!!!
In Jesus Name,
Amen
#smellingofthemire #growinginthemud #liftedmeout #slimypit #outofthemudandmire #setmyfeetonarock #gavemeafirmplacetostand #collegedays #mud #panic #swim #goodtime #river #stuck #rescue #struggle #quicksand #trouble #fallintotrouble #eyeswideopen #vulnerable #nothingbadwillhappentous #advice #adviceofothers #ignorethewarningsigns #flashing #denial #truth #selfsufficient #onourown #allknowing #immortal #owngod #Exodus #noothergods #Hisheart #slowdemise #fallapart #teachuslifelessons #lifelessons #lowestpoint #setourfeetonsolid #preciouspicture #grace #mercy #nothinggoestowaste #Kingdompurposes #Lorusflower #flower #beautiful #Lotusbloomsk #powerofGodsweetsmelling #offering #surrender #redeems #ourGodredeems #ashesintobeauty #darkness #gloriouslight #weaknesses #struggles #pain #strength #tears #fashions #joy #fillsourheart #priase #might #mighty #sufficient #knowing #undeniably