Stuck in the Mud

“I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.” Psalm 40:1-2

So many kids today grow up playing video games and spending hours on their cell phones or other electronic devices. Let’s just say that I was not that kid. I grew up in an era where mom would throw the kids outside and basically said, “Don’t come back in until supper’s ready.” Somehow we managed to figure out some fun things to do outside. We lived on a 20-acre farm next to a family who were also farmers. 

One summer, after it had rained a good bit, the neighbor’s kids, my brother, and I discovered a mud pit behind my neighbor’s barn. I’m not sure which one of us decided to see how deep the mud pit was, but before we knew it, we were armpit deep in mud. To this day I’m not sure if there was a bottom to that mud pit, but I know the more we struggled to get out of the mud the deeper we became stuck in it. Struggling in the mud becomes exhausting. At some point we began to call for help. Eventually it was our parents who came to our rescue.

Sometimes we get spiritually stuck in the mud. Whether it’s the mud of sin or the mud of life’s many challenges, struggling in the mud becomes exhausting. When we cry out to the Lord for help and wait patiently for him, he not only hears, he is there to lift us out of the pit of despair, set our feet on solid ground, and steady us as we continue the journey.

At times It may seem like there is no bottom to your mud pit, but the Lord won’t leave you stuck in the mud. Cry out to him. Wait patiently. He will always come to your rescue.