{"id":27424,"date":"2021-04-16T14:02:01","date_gmt":"2021-04-16T18:02:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=27424"},"modified":"2021-05-29T10:35:57","modified_gmt":"2021-05-29T14:35:57","slug":"pastors-ponderings-lifted-from-the-pit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=27424","title":{"rendered":"Pastor’s Ponderings: Lifted from the Pit!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sometimes we hit stretches in life where we feel like we’re drowning: drowning in debt, drowning in illness, drowning in despair.\u00a0 During this pandemic, things have been difficult.\u00a0 Sometimes it feels like we’re standing on the edge of a slippery pit, just struggling to hold on and to keep our footing.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

But the scriptures are loaded with promises about God’s presence whenever we need Him.\u00a0 Even on death’s doorstep, He’s ready to rescue us and to bring us to eternal life.\u00a0 On April 16, 2021, Pastor Jim sent the following words of encouragement…<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Greetings Friends:<\/span><\/em>
\n\u00a0
\n\u00a0
\nPLEASE READ: Psalms 40:2<\/a><\/h3>\n

“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.”<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nDrowning in a Pit…<\/span> <\/em><\/h3>\n

Comforting and reassuring words offered by the psalmist is our scripture focus for today. The writer here, David, reflects on experience(s) in \"\"his own life in which he has escaped from danger and misery to a state of security and peace (scholars suggest that 1 Samuel 18:1-19:24<\/a><\/span> and 1 Samuel\u00a023:7-24:22<\/a><\/span>) could be possible backgrounds for this psalm). Perhaps David remembers how the Lord provided him with peace through those unexpected, fearful, and uncertain times and eventually lead him to peace and security. Perhaps David was remembering how God provided safety and courage for him when he faced the giant Goliath (see 1 Samuel\u00a017<\/a><\/span>)?<\/p>\n

God’s arm was long enough to reach to the level of any pit David found himself. BUT, not only was God’s arm long enough to reach the pit, it was strong enough to lift him up out of the pit AND set his feet upon a rock.<\/p>\n

The Bible tells us that David was a shepherd and he would tend his father’s sheep (see 1 Samuel\u00a016:11-13<\/a><\/span>). David understood that very often a sheep would have things happen to them as they journeyed through their day and would need the help, support, and comfort of the shepherd. For example, while out grazing it would be common for a sheep to fall off a small ledge and become lodged in a “pit.” The shepherd would come along and often use his shepherd’s staff to reach down and lift the sheep back to safety.\u00a0<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Good Shepherd…<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

In\u00a0John 10:11<\/a><\/span>\u00a0Jesus\u00a0refers to Himself as “the Good Shepherd”\u00a0and by doing so lets us know that God stands ready to assist all of God’s children who are\u00a0“in the pits,” or find themselves, “DOWN on their luck,” so-to-speak. When we go through times of challenge, difficulty, or \"\"uncertainty, it often feels like the “pit” the psalmist is describing. Yet the promise of this psalm is that\u00a0there is deliverance. Our faith reminds us God stands ready to hear and\u00a0is strong enough to reach down and lift us up, set our feet upon THE Rock, empowering us to withstand the storms of life.\u00a0\u00a0That’s part of the grace, the blessing, the assurance, which comes with being a child of God! God’s strong arm of deliverance is able to reach down from heaven and lift us all up out of the miry pits and circumstances which often come on our journey.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Are You in a “Pit” Today???<\/span><\/h3>\n

Do you find yourself in a “pit” today? Have you been lifted out of your horrible pit and made to stand on that stable Rock?\u00a0Psalm 61:2<\/a><\/span>\u00a0encourages us with these words,\u00a0“From the end of the earth I will cry to You,\u00a0When my heart is overwhelmed;\u00a0Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.<\/span><\/em><\/strong>“<\/p>\n

Friends, keep trusting God to lift you up out of that pit you may find yourself and then let Him plant your feet on the Solid Rock, Jesus Christ!\u00a0 As the hymn says, “On\u00a0Christ the solid rock I\u00a0stand<\/a><\/span>.”<\/p>\n

\nShalom,<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Pastor Jim<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

+\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +<\/span><\/p>\n

For more Pastor’s Ponderings articles, click this button:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Pastor’s Ponderings<\/span><\/a> \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Feeling like you’re standing on the edge of an abyss, just trying to hang on and keep your footing? Or maybe you feel like you’ve already fallen down into the depths. In the scriptures, God promises over and over that He will rescue us from our “pits”. He is always with us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7749,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[131],"tags":[137],"class_list":["post-27424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pastors-ponderings","tag-godsprotection"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=27424"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27424\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27438,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27424\/revisions\/27438"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7749"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=27424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}