None of us are promised lives that are free of heartache or pain. Most of the time, the hardest of trials seem to come out of nowhere – a grim cancer diagnosis, a natural disaster that destroys your home, a car accident with subsequent injury and loss or a discovery that shakes your marriage at its very foundation. One day things are great (or at least average), the next day you find yourself struggling to even breathe.
When life has knocked the wind out of you, it is easy to let yourself fall into a “pit” of sorts. Isaiah 38 talks about those who are in the pit of destruction. They are people who moan and say, “My eyes are weary with looking upward. O Lord, I am oppressed…I walk slowly all my years because of the bitterness of my soul (vs. 14-15).”
Have you been there? Have you just been tired of trying to find the good in a situation? Do you find it hard to put one foot in front of the other because of the bitterness of life? Do you feel like you’re in the pit of destruction? Here’s how to get out of there:
“Those who go down to the pit do not hope for your faithfulness (v18).”
The Bible makes a distinction between two kinds of people. One person lives in the pit of destruction – the other places his hope in God’s faithfulness. Even when things are still just as bad as they were when you fell into the pit, hoping in God’s faithfulness gives you the strength to look upward as you put one foot in front of the other.
How do I know? I’ve been in the pit before! I’ve had the wind knocked out of me from absolutely nowhere. I laid in the pit for a while, and then I chose to hope in God’s faithfulness. The latter is a much better way to live life.
When everything else in life is uncertain, you can be certain that God is faithful. Place your hope in that truth – it doesn’t change!
Come Home For Comfort 
Hi Whitney,
I recently discoverd your YouTube channel and blog and love it.
Exactly one year ago I quit my job because I had been unhappy with my professional choices for some years. I felt like there was a constant dark cloud around my head and it dragged me down. I always knew that the sun was shining behind that cloud but it took me some time to find the energy to make the right decisions.
I can honestly say now, after one year of working from home halftime as freelancer I have finally found my old energy back and your positive blog feeds that energy too! I feel I can handle the world again!
I was not raised religious but I do believe in the strenght people have inside! (If this is supported by faith, I completely respect that, it’s all about finding your energy and helping others find theirs, with or without the support of God).
Thank you for writing such a nice blog and vlog, I will continue to follow your stories!
Very kind regards from Belgium,
Henriette
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I honestly don’t know what I’d have done without faith during my dad’s bout with cancer, especially when he passed. Life is so much bigger than we are, and we have to keep on keeping on while giving it up to God. Prayer is powerful, and the world certainly needs it now more than ever! We’ve been praying endlessly lately for my sister, as she had surgery again on Sept. 1 and has been recovering. The doctor seems very positive this time, so she might finally be out of the “pit” she’s been in since January!
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Yes, life can be so big and hard! I’ll be praying that your sister is able to turn a corner with her health! Hugs!
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Thanks so much for the support! It really helps!
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I have been praying and praying for so many… our entire country… the city of Houston… friends and family…. and now Florida. I just know that Christ is faithful so I just continue to lift everyone up in prayer and let the Big Man upstairs handle the hard stuff.
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It is heartbreaking to see so many people in hardship, but knowing that God is always in control and that nothing escapes His view brings great comfort and hope.
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Thanks for your encouraging words. There’s a lot of heavy stuff going on every time I turn on the TV so I’m thankful to know God’s promises. The current events and things that come up in our day to day life are really motivating me to share God’s word with my children. We started a devotional together at meal time and it’s been good for us.
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Heavy is a perfect word for it. I love that you’re having family devotional time – if Olive is aware of any of the turmoil in the world, the stability and reassurance from a family who looks to God’s Word for hope will be such a comfort to her!
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I have been there many times. Sometimes I wallow in the pit before turning my eyes to the Lord. What relief, hope and new perspective comes then! Thanks for this good reminder!
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It’s tempting to stay in the pit – and even to drag others in there with us! But it’s always better to choose to get out!
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Such a good read Whitney. It is so important to cling to the cross and cling to hope.
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Amen – the cross gives so much hope!
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