Get out of that pit!

When I was in Perth in April this year, I managed to hear bits of Beth Moore sharing about getting out of the pit on one of the channels. I was intrigued but didn't manage to catch most of it. So when I saw the book, I decided to buy it. And spent some days of my medical leave reading it ...

Metaphorically, a pit is "a shadowy home of the heart, mind, and soul ... like mud ... (which) we drag ... along wherever our physical circumstances move us."

One is in a pit when:
1. One feels stuck - trapped, one can't get oneself out (Isa 42:22)
2. One can't stand up - one feels ineffective and powerless against attack (Ps 69:2)
3. One has lost vision - one has lost the vision of being part of being something bigger

Psalm 40:1-3
1 I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.
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.
3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.

To get out:
1. CRY OUT
- "God, help me!"
2. CONFESS
- agree with what God says about Himself and about us - tell Him how much you need Him and what's on your mind and in your heart, the mess you are in, who's holding you back, who's on your case and on your nerves...
-confess sins and sins of pride, bitterness, unforgiveness, coldness
(God initiates conversation through conviction, we answer back through confession)
3. CONSENT
- agree to what God already wants, that is, out of the pit

Goal: Freedom from the pit for the rest of your life

Psalm 103: 1-5
1 Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits-
3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

How does one wait?
- by watching out in anticipation because God is at work
- by exercising unwavering and daily confidence that God is coming to our rescue
- by drawing close to God
Isa 64:4
For since the beginning of the world men have not heard nor perceived by the ear,
Nor has the eye seen any God besides You, who acts for the one who waits for Him.