7-23-2014

 Good Morning All,

        Psalm 103: 2 &4; “Bless the Lord… who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy”

       “The pit”; it conjures up images of despair.  In many of the old prisoner of war movies or in the old western prison movies, they had “the pit”.  It was a place of punishment, usually not big enough to stand in, usually an actual hole in the ground.  In the movies in the southwest United States or in the south Pacific, they are hot.  In the war movies in Europe, they are cold. Usually, at some point, the hero of the movies will rescue someone from the pit and save their life.  Of course, that is what heroes do.

     As sinful creatures, we live a life in the pit.  It is dirty, dark, dank and very uncomfortable.  It is lonely and filled with despair.  We are in the pit and fear everything and we live with no hope.  This is the condition in which Jesus finds us. It is from the pit that we are rescued.  Jesus came to us and saved us just as we were.  We were dirty and despised; yet Jesus did not turn away from us.  We were and never are too dirty for Jesus to reach out to us and to save us.  We can take comfort in that; there is nothing about you that makes you unlovable to God.

    Now we see the next step, Jesus doesn’t leave us as he found us; we are cleaned up ad lifted from the pit.  We don’t have to live in the fear that the devil can keep dragging us back to the pit; we are free from him.  We are free to walk the journey that God has given to us. He does not want us to live in the pit; he frees us from the darkness and the hopelessness.  Jesus gives us hope and peace.

   So why is it that we so often return to the pit?  Why do we return to the pain and destruction?  Often it is because that is the only life we know.  We mistakenly think that we belong there.  We tend to see it as our “lot in life” and nothing is further from the truth.  Jesus frees us from that pit of despair, from that pit of hopelessness; so why go back?  Jesus lifts us from the pit and we never have to go back, we never to live in that despair. 

    Jesus came to us to give us hope; hope that can wash away our despair.  We can live knowing that our future is secure and that God goes with us on our journey to give us comfort and to hear our fears and to share in our life.  He goes with us to protect us and to guide us.  He goes with us to remind us of the loving promises that He has made to us.  We are his children and his desire is that we live in joy and contentment in his kingdom.  We are his people.  It is by his mercy that we are out of the pit.  It is by his grace that we have the peace that God grants to us.

Gracious Father, we give you thanks for freeing us from the pain of the pit of despair.  We give you thanks for the wonderful freedom that you give us.  Be with those who are still in the pit.  Give them the certainty of their hope in you.  Keep them safe in your arms and guide them by your Spirit.  In the precious name of Jesus, our risen Savior, we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret