November 10, 2021
Problems and Trials and Pits! Oh My!
Mary Southerland
Today’s Truth
You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light (Psalm 18:28 NIV).
Friend to Friend
Have you ever received a gift that you wanted to return but couldn’t? I certainly felt that way about the pit of depression when I first experienced it. I wanted to take that nasty black hole to the nearest “Pit Store” and exchange it for a tall mountain of victory. But I have come to the place where I thank God for what He has done in my life through the pit of depression. Anything that makes me cry out to God can be counted as a blessing.
We all have a pit of some kind in our lives. Your pit may not be depression. It may be an addiction you find hard to conquer. Your pit may be a difficult relationship, or a life plan gone wrong. It may be a diagnosis of cancer or a chronic physical disease that keeps you broken, wondering if God even cares. He does. I know because I am what you might call a seasoned “pit dweller.” Let me share some truths I have learned through my struggle with the pit of depression.
Pits are a certainty. Hard times will come. Darkness will find us. We will, at some point in our lives, find ourselves in a pit. It may be a pit we have dug with our own hands through wrong choices and foolish decisions. It may be a customized pit prepared for us by the enemy himself. But a pit is a pit! And all pits are basically the same—dark, lonely, and filled with the ugliness of life.
Pits have a purpose. Every pit has a purpose and comes to us for a reason. Pits have an amazing way of bringing balance to life. Life is like a prescription. The individual ingredients may seem harmful, but when they are blended and balanced, they bring health. Pits are part of the prescription of life.
Pits demand that we change our perspective. They make us stop and scrutinize priorities, eliminating the trivial and focusing on the important. Pits give us new eyes and a heavenly focus.
Pits come to strengthen us. Our struggle to escape the darkness forces us to admit our insufficiency and search for power outside of our own.
You can get out of the pit. If there is one central message of this devotion, it is hope. I made it out of the pit and so can you! The path may seem endless and even cruel at times but remember that you did not slip into that pit overnight and you will not climb out overnight. The journey out of the pit begins and ends with one small step. Walk straight ahead through your fear. And with each step, moment-by-moment, the darkness will slowly begin to lift.
God will use your pit. From the depths of every pit comes a message of hope…a message of power…a message of grace. It is a message for us to share. God does not want us to just endure the pits of life. People without Christ can muster up enough courage—enough human strength—to get through a trial, but God has a better plan. He does not want us to just survive the pain. He wants us to rise above it—to celebrate it and use it!
When you begin to share your journey—when you make the choice to help others find their way to the light—God will unleash His power in your life as never before.
“You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light” (Psalm 18:28 NIV).
Life is sweeter on the other side of the pit. We cannot really know just how bright the light is until we have spent time in the darkness. On the other side of the pit, peace settles around us like an old familiar friend. The intimate and faithful presence of a loving Father becomes the reality we once dreamed of knowing. So, celebrate your pit, knowing God will use it for your good and His glory.
Let’s Pray
Father, I come to You – helpless and alone. The darkness is overwhelming, and no one seems to understand. I am desperate for You. Teach me, Father. I surrender to You and the plan You have for my life. By faith, I thank You for the pit in my life that makes me cry out to You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
How would you describe one of the pits you have experienced?
What one main lesson did you learn through that pit?
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Connect with Mary on Facebook or through email at mary@marysoutherland.com.
© 2021 by Mary Southerland. All rights reserved.
Originally published Wednesday, 10 November 2021.
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