You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.
Micah 7:19 (NIV)
Series Focus: “Let There Be Light”
Climbing out of a pit is a difficult journey. We must steady our feet, secure our grip, and take one small step at a time. If we aren’t careful, we will slip back down to the bottom, battered and bruised from the fall. Have you ever been stuck in a chasm so deep you couldn’t see the light to find your way out? You might make it halfway up, but the ascent is just too daunting. The energy it takes just isn’t in you. Fear, anxiety, and exhaustion enter your body, leaving you stuck.
What about a spiritual pit? Have you fallen into a place of despair, hopelessness, or sinfulness that keeps spinning with no end in sight? When we hit the very lowest point in our personal valley, or “rock bottom,” when there is nowhere to go but up, that friends, is where we must look.
Many people throughout scripture have found themselves in desperate, life threatening, even impossible situations—yet they looked to God for answers. They turned to God, asked Him to do what only He could do, and then trusted His faithfulness. The prophet, Micah brought a message of judgment to God’s chosen people of Israel. Although the message was distressing, it came with a glimmer of hope. Even though the people brought this wickedness upon themselves, if they repented of their sins, God remained faithful to forgive them. Let’s look at Micah 7:7-9:
Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light. Because I have sinned against him, I will bear the Lord’s wrath, until he pleads my case and upholds my cause. He will bring me out into the light; I will see his righteousness.
Occasionally, we create situations in our lives we deem so unchangeable, so unforgivable, so far from God’s mercy, we get stuck in a pit. We believe God can’t love us, can’t help us, and might never hear our cries. But He has told us the very opposite in His holy Word!
In Romans 8, Paul reminds us of many truths. God is for us, so who can be against us? There is no condemnation because in Christ Jesus, who sits at the right hand of God, intercedes on our behalf! He has made us more than conquerors, that we fight the battles of our flesh—not for a victory—but from a place of victory! Because of the sacrifice Jesus made for you and me on the cross at Calvary, we are presented justified in God’s eyes.
In Psalm 51, King David pleads to God after creating a pit for himself:
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. (vs 10-12)
In the moments you sit in darkness, God is your light. When you fall, you can rise, and He will redeem and restore you. Nothing can separate you from the love of God. Even from a pit—if you have a humble heart full of repentance— Jesus pleads your case and brings you into His victorious light! Hallelujah!
Holding Fast to Hope,
Jen
Scripture References: Micah 7:19; Micah 7:7-9; Romans 8:31,37,38-39; Joshua 1:5; Hebrews 13:5; Psalm 51