In his book "You'll Get Through This", Max Lucado makes this powerful statement: "Pits have no easy exits." Discouragement, depression, hopelessness, inadequacy, and fear are just a few of the pits where each of us can find ourselves. Although these pits "have no easy exits" they certainly can be exited!
God never intends for His children to live in the pits, but He does allow us to pass through them. They are tough, they can be long and treacherous, they can seem like they will never end, but they will. As certain as the sun will rise and set, God has His hand on the thermometer of your fiery trial today and He will faithfully help you pass through.
Isaiah states it this way: "But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee." - Isaiah 43:1-3
There are three things that Isaiah tells us to remember when we are Passing Through The Pits of Life:
1. Remember You Are His (v.1)
The greatest reassurance you and I have in the pits is that we belong to God. He cares, He is concerned, and no matter how deep and dark your pit might be, you belong to Him.
2. Remember He Is With You (v.2)
My kids are getting older and they don't like to hold dads hand as much, especially my son. But I have noticed that if we are walking outside in a particularly dark night, he will ususally get really close to me and sometimes even grab my hand. When we are in the pits, it is great to know that our God is close by and He wants to be with you even if we have not walked as close to Him in the light as we should.
3. Remember What He Has Done (v.3)
God reminds Israel that although they were in a pit today, they had been there before. They made it through the first time because God saved them and gave them great blessings from the earlier pits. Remember this is not your first pit and probably will not be your last one, but each time God has proven Himself strong and mighty on your behalf. As one songwriter wrote "Hasn't He always come through for you, He's the same now as then. You may not know how, you may not know when, but He'll do it again!"
Yes, pits have no easy exits, but it is in the pits where you can find the real joy and presence of the Lord Jesus Christ as you are passing through them.