I found myself watching a video on FB the other day. I’m not sure how it happened, really. I opened my phone to do something important and a few minutes later I was watching a man rescue a cat who was mired in a mud pit and couldn’t get free. Thankfully, this man stopped when he did. I was mesmerized as the man worked diligently to free the kitty (who didn’t look much like a kitty anymore covered in the thick, gray sludge…!). He was able to get a tree branch underneath her little body and release the suction that had her stuck. Once he freed her, he took her to a stream of fresh water where he started pouring water over her coat, over and over, until the mud began to release and her fur began to look like fur again. Finally she began to look and feel like a cat again.
As I was praying for you all this week, this scene came to mind. I think some of us may feel like that little kitten right now; mired in the mud of our circumstances, what’s going on in the world, the tragedy and trauma that seem to surround us and feeling like we lack the strength or support to pull ourselves out. Maybe you feel like you need someone to come alongside or underneath to lift you up and free you from the muck and the mess! You may be paralyzed in fear, doubt, pain and disappointment, just waiting for someone to come along and rescue you.
I see this so vividly, friends! God wants to come alongside and lift you up and free you from whatever is weighing you down, today. Listen to David’s words in Psalm 40: I waited and waited and waited some more, patiently, knowing God would come through for me. Then, at last, he bent down and listened to my cry. He stooped down to lift me out of danger from the desolate pit I was in, out of the muddy mess I had fallen into. Now he’s lifted me up into a firm, secure place and steadied me while I walk along his ascending path. A new song for a new day rises up in me every time I think about how he breaks through for me! (Psalms 40:1-2)
What good news is that!? Whatever pit we find ourselves in, and whether that pit is of our own making or doing or just a by-product of living in this crazy world, God will come through for us. The reality is you are secure, steady and free already. Maybe you just forgot for a minute. Maybe, like Miss Kitty, you just got stuck and lost sight of who you are.
Let me remind you:
We are convinced that he who raised Jesus will raise us up with him, and together we will all be brought into his presence. Yes, all things work for your enrichment so that more of God’s marvelous grace will spread to more and more people, resulting in an even greater increase of praise to God, bringing him even more glory! So no wonder we don’t give up. For even though our outer person gradually wears out, our inner being is renewed every single day. We view our slight, short-lived troubles in the light of eternity. We see our difficulties as the substance that produces for us an eternal, weighty glory far beyond all comparison, because we don’t focus our attention on what is seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but the unseen realm is eternal. (2 Cor 4:14-18)
Whatever you are facing today, friend and whatever “pit” you feel stuck in, I pray that these verses will lift your spirit and refocus your heart and mind on the promises of God. Because of the Cross, we never have to live stuck in the muck or under our circumstances! Jesus came to raise us up to new life in him. He is our Rescuer. He has not left you in the mud, but bends down, lifts you up, washes you in his love and grace and sets you free.
Take some time today and picture Jesus coming to where you are, and gently lifting you up. See him setting you on a steady, secure place and washing away the mud and the pain and whatever has been weighing you down. Spend time in his presence thanking him that you are actually already raised up with him and in him!
I hope this helps, friends,
Sue
Photo by Kristina Yadykina on Unsplash