The Sandbag Times Issue No: 19

Have Faith
At The Bottom Of The Pit
‘They took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty,
there was no water in it.’ (Genesis 37:24)
Joseph was at the bottom of the pit. He wasn’t alone, Jesus was
there too. Ok the name Jesus was never mentioned before the New
Testament, but he was there…The Word of God. He was there
when Joseph thought his life was over, when his brothers turned
their back on him. I imagine that Joseph wept, all alone, consumed
by pain, the bitterness of betrayal fresh in his mind, feeling let down
by those he loved. His life was all but over. Then he is
freed…..(ironically) into a life of slavery. He was who he was, God
made him that way for a purpose & even when he was thrown from
one dark place to another he kept his eyes on God, kept trusting.
How? Why?
All I know is what
I have experienced.
I feel so alone in
my fight for my
kids. I just want
help so that I can
be the best parent I
can be. I feel right
now like I’m stuck
at the bottom of
that pit alongside Joseph. Feeling hopeless, alone, shattered, broken.
I don’t understand why I am where I am at this precise moment in
my life. I wonder what great purpose there can be for all this pain
& struggle. Am I alone, forgotten? Is God there?
YES!
He was there through all of Joseph’s dark times, but with Joseph’s
love and trust of God & God’s love for him, he got through. His
life was difficult (the pit, slavery, prison) and he must’ve felt fed up,
at the end of his tether & not able to understand why he was going
through such ordeals. He must’ve questioned God many
times…‘WHY?’
What happened? Well, God used him for good. He blessed him.
He had big plans for Joseph & had to get him to the right place
physically & spiritually. He used Joseph so that he could bless His
people. So that he could save His people.
‘God sent me before you to preserve life…So it was not you who
sent me here, but God.’ (Genesis 45:5-8)
David was a young shepherd boy, who no one probably ever took
much notice of. Shepherds weren’t held in high esteem. In others’
eyes (including his brave soldier brothers), he was young & didn’t
know anything, he would always be just the shepherd boy. However
this was not the case. God took him from the field and stood him to
face a fierce enemy in the giant Goliath. His simple child like faith
in God helped him face the giant & defeat him, using the abilities he
had already acquired whilst shepherding. The slingshot was a way
he used to protect himself & his flock from predators, and this is
what he used to defeat the giant. God had equipped him even
before he knew he had been called, because God is at work even
before we see it.
Why God is this happening to me? Why is this happening to my
friend? Why are my kids suffering? Why are things going so
wrong? At that time when we’re in that deepest ‘pit’ we can’t see a
purpose in it. We just see suffering. Foresight would be a great
thing, but we don’t possess it. Why? Because God wants us to trust
Him & know that these ‘pits’ these places/situations we don’t want
to be in are for a greater purpose. These experiences are our
training ground. How can He equip us to do what He has planned if
he doesn’t prepare us through our life experiences. If we knew that
pain was coming we would run away from it. No-one actively
chooses the ‘pit’. But much like the assault course, stamina
training, orienteering & survival skills that are taught to a soldier
long before a battle ensues, God is preparing us for what’s to come.
Any path forward, any decision, needs Gods input. He is, after all,
our heavenly father. He is the creator of each one of us & of
everything. We need to find our way into a relationship with Him
that shows Him the utmost faith & trust, & the most profound love.
He already has that for us & though He gets frustrated at our poor
choices He does not back off or walk away. He is there even when
we feel He is not. A feeling is a feeling, but knowing God is there,
is knowing it! It’s not easy I hear you say. You’re damn right it’s
not! I struggle with it, but what I have learnt recently is that at any
given chance the enemy will try to convince you that God has
‘forsaken you’, given up on you. He even tried that with Jesus on
the cross, ‘my God my God why have You forsaken me’. But God
had not forsaken Jesus, because in 3 days ‘He rose again’.
We need to remind ourselves on a daily basis Gods promise from
the Bible that says ‘He will never leave you nor forsake you’. It is
written in the Old Testament, but it was such an important message
that it was written about again in the New Testament in Hebrews.
God wants us to know…
Remember who you are. Remember…
‘For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to
prosper you & not to harm you, plans for hope and a future’
(Jeremiah 29:11)
I want to reassure you that however alone you are feeling
right now, you are NOT alone in your battle. Please message
me if you have any questions or if you would like us to pray
for you or for someone you know.
Please contact me at havefaith@sandbagtimes.com
www.sandbagtimes.co.uk 13 |