The Lowest Pit

 

Have you ever felt a little bit like Joseph? Maybe our brothers didn't abandon us and sell us into slavery, but we do know the feelings of abandonment. It's funny how quickly people disappear when caregiving becomes our norm. Sometimes, it feels like life tossed us into a pit and walked away leaving us to fend for ourselves. But we showed life - because we just learned to depend on God even better. Like many things in life, it's about refining the process until we get efficient at it. Lol - Pretty sure we are efficient at running to God by now! :-)

In Lamentations 3:55, Jeremiah said that he was calling on God from the lowest pit. (NKJ) Who knows if it was indeed the "lowest" of all the pits around town, but Jeremiah felt it was the lowest pit he'd ever been in - and emotionally, spiritually, and perhaps physically - it was. He was in knee-deep and over his head emotionally. Boy, that sounds like the description of caregiving most days.

But in the next 3 verses, Jeremiah, from the lowest, deepest pit of his life, discovered a few things. He said this:

You hear my voice

You drew near

You pleaded the case of my soul

You redeemed my life. 

I fell in love with these few verses this morning! Jeremiah is in a predicament, and yet he called out to God right in the middle of it all  - and God drew near. That's what stood out to me. God wasn't afraid of the lowest pit. It didn't scare Him away. He didn't wring His hands in worry and tell Jeremiah to figure it out on his own. No - He drew near. He came up close and personal with Jeremiah in the deepest, darkest part of his life. And then He spoke...

God told Jeremiah, Do not fear. He didn't say that He would get Jeremiah out of the pit, and maybe Jeremiah didn't even ask for that. Verse 58 says that God pleaded the case for Jeremiah's soul. I'd call that intercession. Jesus is still interceding for the saints today! (Hebrews 7:25)

We can be sure that God comes near when we call to Him. Our circumstances and situations are not scary to Him. He assures us that He is with us - no matter how deep our pit feels. His calm assurance that He is with us can carry us through the deepest, most difficult parts of our day. We just gotta trust Him.

Today, I will rejoice that God comes near when I call. No matter how dark it seems, I will lean into Him and rest. I will remind myself that He's got me today. He's got nowhere better to go than to sit with me today. My thoughts will be on His ever-abiding presence, His comfort, and the peace that He gives right in the middle of the storm. I will trust Him for one more day - will you join me?

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