July 26
Today’s Readings: Psalms 40; Acts 27:1-26
Today’s Thoughts: The Pit or the Rock
I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps. - Psalm 40:1-2
The house in which I grew up was built in the late 1800’s and still had some of the relics from that period, such as an old cistern located in the backyard. I think at one time it had been a source of water. Since it was no longer used or needed, the opening was loosely capped with a rusty round lid. As a kid, I remember being in fear of accidentally falling into it. My imagination conjured up this image of a deep dark pit with a sinking bottom in which I would be forever trapped. I look back and think that maybe my fears were a little silly, but then I realize that sometimes as an adult I feel as if I wake up in that pit, dark and damp with no way out. Maybe a lot of us feel this way at times.
Reading the words of King David in this Psalm should give us all hope and encouragement. If David had such moments of despair, then we must know that our feelings of being trapped in a pit of miry clay are not unknown to our Lord. Jesus knew how David felt and He knows how we feel. The Lord hears our cries, the Lord inclines His ear to listen to us, and He will not only lift us up, but will lead us out. The key is to trust Him to do so. We must believe that the Lord is going to rescue us because we cannot do it in our own strength. Trying to climb our way out of the darkness is exhausting and depressing. And sometimes it is in that darkest moment, when we sense a hand reaching down, picking us up and setting our feet back on the rock. We did not need to try; we just needed to surrender our fears to the Lord.
Where are you today? Are you in the “horrible pit” or “upon a rock”? Regardless of the place you find yourself, just know that the Lord is right there with you. He is the only way out of the pit and He is the only one Who can establish our steps in the right direction. Pray today that you can trust Jesus for all your needs and that in trusting Him, you can wait patiently for His perfect timing.
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