Seeds of the Kingdom devotional

Out of the Pit!

"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."

Psalm 40:2 , NIV

As Peter said in yesterday’s Seed, we all take great delight in watching the rescue of the Chilean miners and are amazed at the miracle of lives saved.

As I watched the footage of the miners being brought to the surface I considered their journey to freedom. It certainly wasn’t a pleasant one! Locked into a capsule the width of a bicycle wheel, they were transported through fifteen to twenty minutes of utter darkness and solitude with no certainty of reaching the surface. Each man before entering the capsule had to make a choice to do so. Yet, it is such a simple choice! Why on earth would you not choose to be rescued from darkness and fear to a place of light and freedom? Surely an uncomfortable transition is well worth it!

This Scripture reminds us that God longs to rescue us out of our slimy pits; pits of fear, rebellion, self-pity, controlling behaviour and more! Yet for some of us we refuse to be rescued. Maybe this is because we feel it will cost us too much or it is a fearful thing to do. Maybe we think we should be able to dig out of the pit alone and want to be independent of God in certain areas of our lives. The reasons for refusal can be many, yet it is this refusal that prevents us from finding freedom.

As we remember the amazing events of “Camp Hope” we should all remember that there is hope for each and every one of us until the end of time. For God will never stop wanting to rescue us. However, hope becomes reality through action, so let us actually start to make the journeys we need to make in our own lives and allow God to rescue us, no matter how uncomfortable that journey may be.

Prayer: Father God, we thank you for safe rescue of the miners in Chile and pray that you will bring healing to each one as they come to terms with what they have endured. Help us not to refuse the rescuing you wish to fulfil in our lives. We want to be rescued from our pits and are willing to make the journey with you, safe in the knowledge of your unfailing love. Amen.