The pit is not a wonderful place to be in. It's a place of struggle and hopelessness, a place where breaking out and walking free feels like an impossibility. Have you ever fallen in one? Chances are you already have - all of us have.
Some of us do not realize it, but we're already in a pit. Beth Moore, in her book "Get Out of That Pit: Straight Talk about God's Deliverance," said many of us feel comfortable in the pits we are in. Some of us even decorate it, thinking that we're comfortable in it anyway.
The thing is, any and every Christian should not be in a pit! Psalms 40:1-3 tells us that God doesn't want anyone to be in the pit:
"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. He has put a new song in my mouth - Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord."
From this passage we see some things that we should thank God for if ever we're in a pit.
1) That God wants us out of the pit we are in
As mentioned earlier, some of us feel comfortable staying in a pit. We tolerate abusive relationships. We enjoy mediocre Christianity. We're content to be Christians begging God for a pittance when in fact we can just ask Him anything according to His will confidently as His beloved (see Hebrews 4:16).
So many Christians are content with living a defeated life. Christ did not die for us to live a defeated, weak, pathetic and powerless life. His resurrection proves the power of God is more powerful than anything, and the fact that the same Spirit who raised Him from the grave lives in us should make us want to live free.
God doesn't want us staying in a sorry state. He wants us to live abundant lives as His children (see John 10:10; Ephesians 1:3; Romans 8:32; 1 John 3:1).
2) That there's hope in getting out
So now that we've realized that God doesn't want us in a pit, we should then rejoice at the fact that there's hope in getting out of it no matter how deep it is.
Friends, God is able to rescue us from any predicament we are in, but we have to follow Him out of the pits we are in. So many of us think there's no way out of the pits we are in, but there is. We need to go up; we need to reach out to God and follow Him if we want freedom.
Let's stop enjoying the pits we are in. Bondages? Sins we can't seem to stop? Financial sinkholes? God has a way out, and we need to follow Him.
3) That we can get out and stay out
Now that the first two things are established, we can move on to the next: the fact and truth that in Christ, we can get out of our pits and stay out. Colossians 1:13-14 tells us this is so true:
"He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins."
Friends, if Christ Jesus sets us free, then we're assured of authentic freedom that can never be taken away from us. "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed" (John 8:36).
Has Christ freed us from sin? Then we can stay away from that sin. The freedom He has purchased for us is absolute, unless we surrender that freedom and give in to sin again.
BONUS: That there are lessons to learn
Ever noticed that part where David says "He has put a new song in my mouth - Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord"? He meant that once God took him out of the pit, he started singing a new song that will bring praise to God and cause men to fear the Lord.
In the same way, when God rescues us from our pits, we live a changed life. We speak a new message of hope: the kind that comes from His saving us from our pits. This is our testimony of His goodness.
What we went through, what God rescued us from, gives us lessons and messages of hope that we will share to redeem others.
