“I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. 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” (Psalm 40:1-2).
Mud and mire.
While playing in the mud was fun as children, most of us have spent our adult lives trying to avoid it. And not just the dirt mixed with water type of mud. Verbal mud. Emotional mud. Habits. Behaviors. Messy relationships. Toxic environments.
Ironically, apart from mud-slinging (where someone else throws mud at you), I have to assume responsibility for generating a good amount of the mud that has entered my life. I make poor choices or get sloppy with words. I am a maker of mud.
Not only has God offered rescue from the mud, but he can lift us out of the mire as well. Mire — that low-lying swamp land we often have to slog through.
How often have we found our progress grinding to a painful halt? We’re mired down. Worn down. When we’re living in the mire of poverty or indecision or immorality, our ability to navigate confidently and correctly is seriously hampered.
Mud and mire.
When you find yourself stuck in the mud or mired down, remember we serve a God who can lift us out of the slimy pit we’re in and set our feet back on solid ground.