When was the last time you found yourself in the bottom of a pit? Did you dig the pit for yourself and then jump in? Or were you thrown into a pit by someone close to you, like Joseph was by his brothers? There is a plethora of “pits” available to us:
- The pit of debt
- The pit of shattered dreams
- The pit of broken promises
- The pit of failed relationships
- The pit of company layoffs
- The pit of sickness or disease
- The pit of being betrayed
- The pit of persecution—gossip, slander, false accusations
The bad news is that the pits of life are truly endless; the good news is that no pit is too wide or too deep that God cannot rescue you from it. David penned these lovely words:
I waited 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 and put their trust in the Lord.
(Psalm 40:1-3 NIV)
David had personal experience in going from the pit to the palace. How was it possible for him? Two reasons rise to the surface.
1. The psalmist cried out
We were not created to go through life alone. Our divine design in creation is dependence on God. Everything in creation is dependent upon the Creator. Made by God, for God, we were never created to live apart from God, whether in seasons of plenty or want, sickness or health, harvest or hard providence. God not only encourages us to come boldly before the throne of grace, He expects us to cry out to Him along the way. The writer of Hebrews exhorted, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). Our God invites and delights in taking us from the pit to the palace.
2. The psalmist waited patiently
David knew better than to rush through the pit. He knew that God is working every slimy pit of providence for two reasons: God’s glory and our ultimate good. He knew the mud and mire, when shaped in the hands of the Master, would eventually be transformed into His masterpiece. God inspired David to write these words of exalted praise in Psalm 31:3—“You are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me.”
Notice with me that the firm place where the psalmist stood is the same firm place set out for you and me; His name is Jesus Christ. Christ is the Rock of our salvation. Paul wrote that during the Exodus the people of Israel “drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them,” and then clearly explained that “the Rock was Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:4).
Christ is our everything—in both salvation and sanctification. He is the Author and Finisher of our faith and all points in between. What God begins He completes, and that means you and me! He will not leave us in any pit we are currently facing . . . even those we dig with our own sinful hands. He has promised to deliver us out of every pit and in the process give us a “new song and a hymn of praise to our God.”
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 
