Misery in the Mire

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 (NLT)

Mires are low areas where deposits of peat are so saturated with water that walking becomes sluggish. Mires form where rain abounds and soil is impervious. But m

Mires are not exclusive to certain locations. They can often be found where pain and heartache abound: a devastating diagnosis, heartbreaking news, or discouragement so deep it leaves us reeling.

In Psalm 40, David voices his misery as he wallows in the mire. He isn’t simply referring to a setback or a hindrance. He’s speaking of a deep, emotional grief from which he cannot extricate himself. Powerful discouragement sucks him further and further into its murky depths.

            Yet in the midst of his anguish, David waited on the LORD, confident He would not forsake him. He waited, convinced God would help him, secure in the knowledge that God saw every tear he cried, certain God heard his pleas. He waited, confident that God was with him even in the deepest and darkest moments of his life.

Therein lies the key to finding hope in the midst of grief; waiting, knowing God is in the midst of our mire and will deliver us in due time.

God did not leave David to wallow in the mire. He reached down and pulled him out, then set him on solid ground and steadied him with His strong hand.

It’s hard to wait patiently when we’re stuck in the mire, isn’t it? We want to do whatever it takes to remove ourselves from the pain. We cling to false hopes that eventually leave us disheartened when they don’t hold up under the pressures of life.

But God urges us to wait patiently for His perfect timing and His perfect plan to be fulfilled. There is no mire or pit so deep God cannot reach us. He hears our prayers, He sees our tears, He cares about our pain. In due time, He will reach down and save us.

Because He loves us too much to leave us to wallow in the mire.

Thought: “God is able to take the mess of our past and turn it into a message. He takes the trials and tests and turns them into a testimony.” – Christine Caine