“I wait patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry. 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. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in Him.” (Psalm 40:1-3 NIV)
We know this text was written by David, but doesn’t it sound like something Joseph might have said? Have you ever given any significant thought to his time in the pit? Joseph was thrown (by his brothers, no less) into a cistern; a stone cavern designed to receive and retain run-off in the rainy season. Mercifully, the stone container was empty. No water to break his fall, but he didn’t drown, either. Even still, Joseph’s pit would have been dark, muddy and dank. How long did Joseph sit in his funk before he was ‘saved’ into slavery? Was he injured in his struggle and accompanying descent? Seems likely. His ego was wounded for certain.
I wonder, have you ever found yourself in a pit? Like Joseph with his brothers, we can be wrongfully cast into deep, dark places by others, but sometimes we find ourselves at the bottom of a cistern of our own accord. Both pit scenarios prove equally impossible to climb out unassisted. We require God’s intervention in scaling the walls of our personal cisterns.
This morning, we recognize that the God of all is Lord of the pit, as well. He can even wield that pit of circumstance (cast there by others or self-afflicted) to recreate us further into His image. Joseph was lifted out of his pit with a bit more humility. At the point in his story, he was beginning to see God as His Savior and learning to rely on himself a little.
Friend, the pits in your life have purpose, as do mine. We learn lessons in the dank, dark that we may not be willing to receive in the light. And when God rescues us, we know Whom to credit. We finally, fully realize how helpless we are on our own.
“I speak of Your faithfulness and Your saving help. I do not conceal Your love and faithfulness fro the great assembly.” (Psalm 40:10 NIV)
When we have survived our fall into the cistern and been rescued from darkness, we have a duty to proclaim our salvation to others. We have each been plucked from the pit at least once, have we not? Jesus’ shed blood sent a ladder to the bottom of our depravity and provided a means to climb out of the dark. We remember that the next time we find ourselves free -falling or even stuck at the bottom again. It’s always time to tell the world of His wondrous love.
Lord, we are glad to learn that You are God of the cistern, too. You see us in our fallen state, meet us amidst the dark and make a way up and out. We were helpless without You. May we remember Your rescue always, singing Your praises and recalling Your faithfulness. If and when we find ourselves fallen again, help us look back on Your past rescues and sing songs of hope even in the dark depths. Change us in these moments, recreate us in the secret places where no one can see but You. Don’t waste our suffering, but wring it for all it’s worth. Bring us out looking a bit more like You. Amen.