Now There’s Help Out Of The Pit Of Despair

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Have you ever felt like you were stuck in a pit of despair? Times when you’re living in a dark dank place with your feet stuck in the muck? Times when it feels like you’ve fallen so far, you wonder if you’ll ever find your way out?

If so, pause with me to take a closer look at Psalm 40…

I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,
    and He turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
    out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground
    and steadied me as I walked along.
He has given me a new song to sing,
    a hymn of praise to our God.

Psalm 40:1-3a

Other translations call it a horrible pit, a pit of desolation, a pit of danger, a slimy pit, or a pit of destruction. Whatever we call it, I know it’s not where we want to be, and we need help to get out!

I’m impressed with David’s ability to “wait patiently.” I’m not very skilled at being patient when I’m miserable. I’m more likely to whine and complain. But maybe that’s why I’m encouraged by David’s words; I have learned to cry out to God in prayer.

They assure us that we can trust that the Lord hears our prayers, whether they come from a place of patience or desperation.

Father God is not observing our pain from a throne, far, far away. He is with us, and like a loving parent, He reaches down to lift us out of the pit and put us back on solid ground.

Peter wrote…

In His kindness, God called you to share in His eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, He will restore, support, and strengthen you, and He will place you on a firm foundation. 

1 Peter 5:10

Jesus is our solid ground. He is our firm foundation. And because of God’s grace, His Spirit will give us a song of praise to replace our despair.

One of the things I love about Scripture is that none of it is sugar-coated. Its pages are filled with real people who lived with hope and despair, sin and forgiveness, life and death. We can see ourselves in chapter after chapter.

As Solomon wrote…

“Nothing under the sun is truly new.” (Ecclesiastes 1:9)

From the Garden through today, people have found themselves in the pit of despair. Sometimes it’s of their own doing. Sometimes it is caused by someone else. And sometimes it’s the effects of living in a sinful world.

The truth is, although we want to linger on solid ground, we may find ourselves stuck in another pit in the future. When we do, we can cry out to God in faith and wait patiently for Him to lift us out of that pit once more.

And, like David, that’s why we tell our stories.

So that…

Many will see what He has done and be amazed.
    They will put their trust in the Lord.

Psalm 40:3b

What a blessing it is to know that our Heavenly Father hears the cries of our hearts and graciously lifts us out of the pit again and again.

Let’s pray…

A Prayer for Help Out of the Pit of Despair

Father, it feels hopeless in the pit of despair. Everywhere I look, overwhelming emotions keep me from seeing a way out. I’ve been through difficulties in the past, but there always seemed to be a way through. This time, the pit is deep, and the walls are closing in.

I’m stuck, Lord. Please hear the cries of my heart. I need You. On my own, I can’t stop repeating the same painful mental messages. They keep pulling me down into the muck of discouragement. Help me, please.

Thank you for helping me pause to remember the times You’ve lifted me out of my past pits. I don’t have to live without hope. I will look up! You are with me, always present, always caring, always ready to help.

I trust You will lift me yet again. I believe You will place me on solid ground. On Jesus, my firm foundation and source of hope.

So, as I wait for this season to resolve, I will trust You to renew my strength through Your promises. I will trust Your love and give myself to You. And when I am steadied once again, please use me to share the truth of Your faithfulness. May many see what You have done and put their trust in You. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

We are blessed!

The Lord is always with us. He will deliver us and put us back on solid ground. He will graciously show us the way forward when we cry out to Him in prayer and trust His promises.

God is love, and He writes our stories so that we can tell all of the wonderful things He does to encourage other pit dwellers to wait, pray, and put their trust in Him.

Some quotes and verses to encourage…

“When we put our faith in God, we are never lost, even in the darkest times.” ~  Max Lucado

Lead me by Your truth and teach me,
    for You are the God who saves me.
    All day long I put my hope in You.

Psalm 25:5

“To trust God in the light is nothing, but trust Him in the dark, that is faith.” ~ Charles Spurgeon

And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

Romans 5:5

“No pit is so deep that He is not deeper still; with Jesus even in our darkest moments, the best remains and the very best is yet to be.” ~ Corrie Ten Boom

May the Lord be with you and bless you. May He lift you out of every pit and place you on solid ground of faith and hope in Jesus.

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