“Who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion.”
– Psalm 103:4, NIV
Think, for a moment, of the worst place you have ever experienced. Not talking about geography here, but a situation or circumstance where you found yourself at your lowest. A place you got yourself into – a bad relationship, piled high in debt, overcome with your inability to keep your mouth shut, depression due to refusal to forgive, or consumed with envy – just to name a few. There you are, in a pit. You look up and the light shining down seems too small to penetrate the dark around you. You can’t climb out because the walls of the pit are filled with layers of slime and gunk from years of buildup.
I can remember such a time. Can you?
In your journal, write a few lines describing how you felt – write only a few. We’re not going to stay here long.
And now the lift.
It seems there is no way out, and then God, in His great mercy shines the warm and alluring beacon of His saving light down to you. He pulls you out of this pit of despair and toward Himself. Ah. The rescue.
As He lifts you out, your covering of buildup and slime begins to slide off. He pulls you close and wipes away the rest, along with your tears, your sorrow. And He gently, lovingly kisses you on the cheek and says, “I love you.” He wraps you in the best. And then He places on your head a covering, a cap, that says to you, “My love and compassion are all over you. I see you just as you are: Mine. And you need to know you don’t belong in that pit. You belong right here with Me. This crown can never be removed. It’s one of those articles of clothing that stays with you. Yes, My love and compassion are always a part of you.”
We are not defined by our failures. We are not made in the image of our weakness. We are defined by who God is and how He saved us. When we fully grasp God’s big love for us, we become ready to see that God lifts us out of the pits so He can reveal His love, His compassion.
He doesn’t just pull us out of the pit. He pulls us out and redeems (or saves) us from the reason we’re there. And if that complete redemption isn’t enough, He tops it off by covering us with His great love and compassion. Wow!
You are a woman who is fully redeemed and loved, and covered with compassion. How does this make you feel? How might you share your story with co-workers, friends, or neighbors? They are desperate to experience love and compassion. Maybe your story will help them on their way.
Dear God, I have been pulled up out of the slimy pit. You saw me and did not leave me there. You saw me and saved me. Help me today to remember this amazing benefit. You redeem. You save. You crown with love and compassion.
Cheryl Lee Davis
Vice President of Women’s Connection
Women’s Connection