Search and rescue operatives are always the mainstays of every
disaster area. They are the first to respond and the ones who work
round-the-clock to help save lives. They put their lives and limbs on
the line to dig through the rubble, dive through the waters, waddle
through thick mud, and negotiate dangerous terrain just to save
people.
Such relentless effort can be likened to a tiny fraction of what our
Heavenly Father does in His quest to bring us back to Him.
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10
Our redemptive God untiringly digs us out of the pit we are in. And
the good news is it does not matter to Him whether the trench we got
stuck in is a pit we have been pushed onto by someone, or a ditch we
dug ourselves into.
“Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who
forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your
life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,” Psalm
103:2-4
As human beings, we could experience hardship because of circumstances
that are beyond our control. An example would be being born to
poverty, falling victim to a crime, or poor choices made by people
close to us. These can be likened to deep trenches we get pushed into,
but regardless of that our Mighty God can get us out of it.
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him
out of them all.” Psalm 34:19
We also get stuck in deep and muddy ditches because of our failure to
make God-honoring choices, ignorance of God’s word, stubborness and
rebellion against God’s teachings, and a love affair with everything
that is worldly such as powers, pleasures, and possessions. But
whatever got us into that pit does not matter to our Good Shepherd,
who does not distinguish between the black and naughty sheep, and the
white sheep.
“I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them
also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock
and one shepherd.” John 10:16
The only question though is will we allow ourselves to be found? or
will we hide ourselves from Him and wallow in the mud? Will we raise
up our hands so that God can reach deep into us and get us out of the
dark murky waters? Will we shout with all our might so that He can
hear us calling on Him?
We have to do our part as well to get rescued. Like a disaster victim,
we should do what we can to be discovered by rescuers and stay alive.
The only way to do all these is by seeking Him. By seizing life
opportunities to encounter Him.
When we immerse ourselves into prayer and reading His word,
worshipping Him, listening to praise music and consuming bible-related
content, actively listening to sermons, and surrounding ourselves with
fellow believers, we can expedite our rescue. We can then breathe, and
finally see the light.
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will
flee from you. James 4:7
Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to
ponder on Matthew 18:12-14 and Psalm 103:1-6 to dig deeper on today’s
topic.
Reflection Question:Â Are you currently stuck in a pit? Are you
reaching out to God for rescue?
Conversation with the Lord: Heavenly Father, thank you for your
relentless search for me. For untiringly calling me back to you so
that I can finally see the light. May I faithfully remain with you and
no longer dig spiritual ditches where I could get stuck in. Amen.
