I need God to show up!
I need Him! I cannot do anything on my own!
I have nothing to give- absolutely NOTHING!
{{There- I said it!}}
Even as I sit to write these words, my thoughts are jumbled, choppy, not making any sense!
For right now, my feet are sinking & I feel stuck in the mud!
Stuck!
It seems so silly… maybe it’s just been a rough day (or week, or month)- everyone has tough days! …maybe it’s the fact that I am a mommy stuck in the trenches of spilled milk, laundry piles, & slobbery kisses (as much as I love those)! …maybe it’s realizing that I’ve failed & that I will never be good enough! …maybe it’s “the waiting game” our family is playing right now! …maybe it’s that when it rains, it often pours, & right now it is pouring! And, although it may seem silly, as nothing traumatic has happened… I want to be honest & recognize that this is where I am at right now!
Stuck! Stuck in the slimy pit, the mud & mire!
Yet, I have found some verses that have been an encouragement to me, & I hope they will encourage you as well… no matter where you are at right now!
“I waited patiently for the LORD;
he turned to me & heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud & mire;
he set my feet on a rock
& gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see & fear
& put their trust in the LORD”
Psalm 40:1-3
One thing I noticed about these verses, was that WHILE David, the Psalmist, was waiting PATIENTLY for the LORD (so hard to wait patiently!!)… WHILE he was crying out to God… WHILE God turned to him & heard his cries… he was in the pit!!!
He was stuck!
How can God lift us out, if we are not first in the pit??
And how can He give us a firm place to stand, if we do not realize our need to have our feet set on the rock??
Another thing I noticed about those verses was that God did not leave him in the pit!! David might have been there for a while, but he did not stay stuck!! God moved!! One of my favorite quotes is by Warren Wiersbe & says, “When God permits His children to go through the furnace, He keeps His eye on the clock and His hand on the thermostat.”
And that’s what God did for David & in the process He changed David’s heart… He set his feet on a rock… He gave him a firm place to stand… He changed his song into a song of praise! And not only did God work in David’s life, but He moved in such a way that OTHERS saw the difference, & they learned to fear & trust the LORD! That’s amazing to me & so encouraging!
That’s what I desire for God to do in my life, & I pray He will do in your lives as well!
For as we wait in the slimy pit {{maybe a “pit” of sour attitudes, discipline, & dirty dishes… maybe a “pit” of deep grief… maybe a “pit” of waiting…}} God WILL show up & move in ways that we never could have imagined if we cry out to Him & wait patiently for Him!
He hears our cries! He will lift us up! He will give us a firm place to stand! And He will put a new song in our mouths… Praise to our God!
Are you in a “pit”? I would be honored to pray for you as you wait patiently for the LORD!!
11 comments:
Wow.....just what I needed to read today. Thank you so much for sharing your heart. I'm going to print those verses out to remind me, again, of what I need to be doing......and of what God can/will do. One of my favorite songs right now is "While I'm Waiting" by John Waller. We are very much "stuck in the pit" with waiting to sell our house and even putting an offer in on the one we like has become a very, very long process. Thank you again for the encouragement today!
We were "stuck" not knowing what was next for over 6 months. I will be praying for you because it is a hard place to be!
id gladly take your prayers for iam in a pit. a single mother full time student and worker with a daughter whos been sick with her sickle cell for more then a month pit so say one for me and i will say one for you. be blessed.
Praying for you!! Transition is hard. Waiting is hard! I'm so glad that you are able to praise Him even when you feel stuck!!
“Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message” So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him…Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand…Jeremiah 18:2-6
Being formed,stretched, re-shaped, and molded into something new is always so painful and raw. Praying for you today sweet friend. Would love to chat if you ever have a free moment. :)
Amy
Just what I needed to read tonight. Thank you!
Many times, I have been in the pit ... and every time God was with me and it usually depended on my willingness to be taught as to how long I was in it. I have been in a very messy one for the past several months, so I completely understand and can relate.
Even more so, I can relate to the transitional period that you are in right now. After my husband graduated from Seminary with his PhD, we were in a time of transition for about 20 months. We were in waiting ... having no idea how long it would be before we knew our next step. It felt as though we'd never know what our next move was ... but we did eventually get our passage. Waiting and not knowing is the hardest part. I'll pray for you and your family as you are in this waiting period.
Will be praying for you today! What a great post! And the verses are exactly what I needed to read. I have been "stuck in a pit" in a few areas and would really appreciate some prayers! Disciplining my daughter has become ever so hard...trying to sell our house...and the longing for more children. It is so hard to wait on God, but I know the end result will be worth it! Prayiing for the strength and the faith to hold on!
Dearest Jessica,
How well I remember the "stuck" feeling during our transition time. At times I wondered where God was and would He remember our faithfulness to Him? It was so easy for me to have a pity party at times. As I look back, I realize that the whole time I was stuck I was learning, even though I didn't know it at the time. The Psalms became my lifeline to God, and I read them over and over. So much richness and healing in them. He taught me, that while I could not or did not always have trust and confidence in my earthly father, that He, God, was trustworthy and worthy of my confidence. He taught me to keep my eyes on Him and not the circumstance. He taught me to encourage my husband and believe in what God was going to do in and through him even when my husband was full of doubts and discouragement. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that when you look back on this God will clearly show you the lessons He was teaching. He knows your heart. He knows your faithfulness over the years. He knows the deep hurts and sorrows you are experiencing. He cares more than words can ever express. He loves you more deeply than you could every imagine. He has a plan for you that will be worth the "stuckness" in the end.
Our love and prayers continue for you and your precious family,
Mom Norton
That is totally the scripture that God has used more than once to encourage my heart. When we lost our Nathaniel in 2004, a lady from church called me and shared that scripture. She said that God was giving me a "new song." This past year after we lost Faith Jordan, God brought me back to that scripture and opened my eyes to the part before. He reminded me that I couldn't sing that new song until He pulled me out and set my feet on a firm path. So I could have confidence that even though I felt like I was in the pit that my redemption from that pit and my new song were still in my future! Hallelujah! Praise our God who is so faithful!! Your new song is comin' sister!!!
Wow, I love that quote about the furnace that you shared - that's so true! I feel like I'm starting to come out of my pit - my Davey is 3 months old now, and I have a very hard time emotionally after I have a baby - I finally feel like I'm having an easier time seeing the joy in raising my children again, and really like God is lifting me out of an emotional pit. I am praying for you and your family as you go through this difficult time of waiting on Him. Thank you for sharing so honestly.
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