Day 29 - Out of the Pit

Written by: Wendy Alligood

SCRIPTURE FOCUS
Psalm 130 
1  Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord!
 2  O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive 
To the voice of my pleas for mercy!
 3  If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?
 4  But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.
 5  I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and lin his word I hope;
 6  my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.
 7  O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is plentiful redemption.
 8  And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
 

DEVOTION
Psalm 130 is a psalm of ascent.  There are 15 of these special psalms that were traditionally sang as pilgrims to Jerusalem climbed the steep hill to the city and up the steps to the temple.The person was physically (if we think of heaven being above us or referring to the Holy of Holies in the temple) and spiritually getting closer to God as he climbed. Some of these psalms are attributed to David and one to Solomon but the author of 130 is unknown.  It’s overall theme is repentance, but it is also about the character and attributes of God.

Verse 1) The psalmist begins crying out the Lord from a pit or abyss. The word used for Lord is YAHWEH, the God of the covenant with Israel. How many times have you found yourself in a pit? The pit could be loneliness, addiction, depression, financial problems; we have all been in a pit. The first pit was the one we were born in. We were all born in the depth of sin. If we have accepted Christ as our Savior, we are no longer in that pit but there are other valleys in life.
 
Verse two) The psalmist begs the Lord to hear his cries. He is not asking with the idea that the Lord might not hear; he is demanding because he knows the Lord has promised he WILL hear. Isaiah 65:24 says, “Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear.” The psalmist knows the Lord has rescued him from the pit in the past and that he can depend on Him to do so again.

Verse 3-4) The psalmist notes that if the Lord kept track of our sins in order to punish us, no one would be found innocent. Romans 3:23 states, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” While the Lord knows all of our sins, He does not keep a record of them. In fact He forgets them. Hebrews 10:17 says, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” The psalmist believes this and says God should be revered (feared in the psalm means to be in awe of) because He forgives and forgets. What sin do you need the Lord to forgive and forget?

Verses 5-6) The psalmist says he has hope. Because of what is said in the Word of God and because of his own relationship with God, the psalmist trusts that the Lord will come through in this circumstance just as He always has in the past and as His word promises. Second Corinthians 1:10 states, “He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.” The psalmist waits expectantly just as the night watchman knows the sun will rise. The Lord promises to be with us in the pit and to guide us out if we will follow HIm.

Isaiah 41:10 says, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God.”
Verses 7-8) Here the psalm changes. It was the personal cry of one man. He has reminded Himself of God’s mercy, forgiveness, Word, and promises. Now he is ready to encourage others (Israel) to believe in God too. Psalm 130:7 says, “hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption.”

ACTION STEP
Easter is the time of remembering Jesus’ work on the cross. He took all the sin of the world (mine, yours, everyone’s) and paid the price for it with His own life. Then He rose again to prove He was God’s Son and to show He has authority over sin and death. If you have never believed this, you are in the same pit in which we are all born, the pit of sin. Cry out to God. He will hear you in the depth of your despair and rescue you.

If you are a believer, you still may find yourself in a pit from time to time. All of us have found ourselves in a figurative pit. The pit is the depth of human suffering. Our lives are made up of peaks and valleys (pits). The Christian life is rarely one of smooth sailing or easy walking. The last time you found yourself in the pit (or if you are in one now), how did you react? Determine how you will react the next time you find yourself in the abyss. Will you, like the psalmist, claim God’s mercy knowing that you are unworthy but He is trustworthy? Will you remember that He hears you, forgives you, forgets your sins, and will rescue you?
 
Once you have reminded yourself of these truths, think of someone who needs to hear about them. Make an appointment to meet this person for breakfast or a cup of coffee. Tell them about your God. Invite them to to come to church with you on Easter. Tell them you will pick them up.

PRAYER TIME
Dear Lord, Thank you for your Word which allows us to know about You. Thank you that the Bible always agrees with itself so that I can find other verses to support and further explain the verses found in Psalm 130. I thank you Lord for being a loving God who hears our cries and then joins us in the pit in order to lead us out again. Thank you that you are merciful, that you forgive and forget our sins even though we are unworthy. You deserve our eternal worship. Help me to tell someone this week about what you have done in my life, how you have rescued me from the pit time and again.