The Man in the Pit

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"Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for me?" (Jeremiah 32:27).

We find ourselves happy and faithful when life is good to us and agreeable with our plan, but when we suddenly, without any indication, find ourselves stuck in the pit because of wrong decisions we made or other situations inflected upon us, we feel panicked and struggle to get out of the pit with our limited sources or by seeking others' help.

We allow fear, frustration, discouragement, anger, and resentment to overwhelm us and cloud our direction. Some will ask, "Why are things happening like this? And why does God allow it? Is God punishing me for one thing or another?" And often we start to doubt, complain, and grumble.

How is your faith? How is your trust? Are you in peace? Are you joyful?

Our generation is not the only one to struggle with these questions. People have struggled with these questions since the beginning of creation. Many of us are satisfied with committing our life to God while others rely instead on their own will to solve their problems. But if we trust that everything happens for a reason and we remember who we are, who created us, and what is our purpose in life, we will live in peace.

"Praise the Lord of hosts, for the Lord is good, for His mercy endures forever" (Jeremiah 33:11).

By design we all are created in God's image. God's goal for us all along is to be happy, to prosper, and to live an abundant life. But unfortunately, due to our sin, we find ourselves full of stubbornness and rebelliousness. And Satan will not stop until he destroys the principle of rules in society, in homes, or in churches, so do not let that happen. Trust that God can get you out of your pit in His right time.

God can use any one of us if we can surrender to Him and let Him use us for His purpose. He will makes us strong in our faith and increase our trust in Him, for if we could learn to glorify God in everything we do and endure our trials, we would know not to sin and vice versa. In the Holy Bible, God gave us many example of this. One of the stories that we find ourselves reading over and over again in the book of Genesis is the life Joseph. He endured trials throughout his life, though he never committed any wickedness in the sight of God; for that, God rewarded him and blessed him tremendously. Joseph's life shows us that God can even use teenagers and put them in the pit to strengthen them and make them withstand all sorts of temptation.

All of us, in one way or another, can relate to the biblical story of Joseph. It is easy to see ourselves in one of these pits:

Lost his mother at birth
Hated by many, including family members
Faced with deception
Immigrated in a new land by choice or unwillingly
Faced with many temptations
Faced with false accusation
Has no way to defend himself
Feeling pain or oppression

But through all this we find that Joseph's inner beauty shone. With a godly heart, despite his young age, he endured a broken heart, missing his father, and many circumstances. He:

Trusted God and relied on him
Glorified God in everything he did
Never asked "why me?" or grumbled
Never let God down
Never lost sight of the fact that God is good, loving and merciful
Never filled his heart with hate and doubt
Had an attitude of forgiveness
Refused to see himself as a victim
Put God and others first
He did not allow his life to revolve around himself
Used his talents to serve God and not for his own gain
Comforted others
Became a better and mature man

That is why God blessed him beyond measure and allowed the hearts of his brothers to change for the better. Many scholars use the life of Joseph to draw comparisons between him and the Lord Jesus Christ. Both:

Had godly characters from an early age
Received a robe from their fathers
Were greatly loved by their fathers
Were hated and envied by their brothers
Followed God's plan for them
Felt the presence of God with them
Were tempted
Were plotted against
Were sold for the price of a slave
Were arrested unjustly
Forgave those who harmed them
Were made to suffer
Ministered to two guilty men
Went from suffering to glory
Provided peace, protection, and plenty
Became servants for others
Became a savior for many

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" (Psalm 46:10).

In this life there is no escape from pits; small and large. There is always news about war, bad weather, and disasters. We hear about neighborhood burglars, incurable illnesses, and maybe even the death of a close friend.

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea" (Psalm 46:1-2).

Jacob faced years and years of sorrow. He could not see a way out of his misery, and all he saw was darkness. His world was crumbling around him, and he allowed Satan to hammer after him. He forgot that there is only one God, a perfect God who is in control.

In God's due time, Jacob's life was transformed in front of his eyes, and God provided him with more than he could ever imagine:

Joseph was alive
His sons became righteous
Benjamin came back
Simeon was freed from jail
His family was saved from the famine
God blessed his family in Egypt

Although sometimes we do not understand, although God sometimes keep us in the dark, and although Satan can give us the illusion that he is in control, we must walk in the light and trust that God is perfect and in control, that His wisdom is beyond our understanding, that He will never give us more than what we can bear, that He will do what is right and profitable for us as He promised, and that He will keep us with Him to the end.