The Bog

Psalm 40: 1-3 I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. ² He lifted me out of the slimy pit,out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. ³ He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in him.

You are walking through life, it seems smooth. There are no pits that you can see. You have a plan, you have your future mapped out. Your singing a song. The song about all you have accomplished. All you have done for others, done for yourself. Suddenly you slip and find yourself sinking into the slimy bog. You struggle, sure that if you can reach a limb or branch you can climb out yourself. As you reach, you sink a little deeper. You begin to panic. You struggle more, and sink more. Finally you stop. You feel panicked. This time no one is going to come. This time the slimy pit is going to overtake you. You realize that since you have stopped struggling you are not sinking as fast. Up to your chest in muck and mire you know that help needs to come soon. How did this happen so fast? I was on solid ground just a little while ago. You begin to cry out, "Help me, anyone. Please help me." Now up to your neck you are sure that this time you are not going to be rescued. This time the bog is going to overtake you.

But then the Lord turns, hears your cries and walks over. He looks at you, slowly sinking, and without a word reaches down into the slim and pulls you out. He places you on a safe place. Strong ground that is far enough away from the bog their is no chance of slipping back in. You are crying, upset and ashamed. Your covered in the residue from the bog. He begins to clean you up. He scrubs the slim off your feet. Gives you a new set of clothes. Washes your face. You look down and notice that your clothes are white! There is no more reside. No more dirt or slim. A new look. New shiny clothes. You begin to sing a new song. A song that tells about the Lord who rescued you. All who hear it look to your Savior.

How often do we find ourselves stuck in a bog. Sometimes a bog of our own sin and bad choices. Sometimes the bog is distress, sadness and hopelessness. We struggle trying to find a way out. We plan, scheme, or force an issue. We make promises and we hope that this will help us escape. But we sink further. And finally we resign ourselves to be overtaken by the bog. We become desperate and we cry out. The Lord hears our very first cry and turns. He sees us. Not the bog, not our surroundings. He sees you. He comes and without difficulty he reaches in and lifts us out. He places us in a safe place. He cleans us up. Finally he replaces our song of sin, of sadness, of anger and of hopelessness. He helps us refocus. We stop looking at ourselves and we see Him. Our songs change. They point to the only one who could have rescued us. The only one who could change our situation is God.

Whether your bog is a marital problem, finances, family issues, or sin the only way out is by crying out to the Lord and waiting patiently for him to see you. He will, the bog will not overtake you.