In the Pit - Martin Wiles

Then they grabbed him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty; there was no water in it. Genesis 37:24 NLT

Only some qualify for the pit.

I once was a NASCAR fan. Although I only attended a few races, I watched many on television. The drivers intrigued me—the training they had to endure, the car’s heat, the inconveniences of hours of racing, the dangers—but the pit crew interested me more. I loved watching the cars roll into the pit area and seeing the crew members swarm the vehicle. One slid across the hood of the car and changed the tires on the opposite side of the car. Another took the opposite side. One popped the hood and made a quick check. Another reached over the tire changer with a long-handle brush and cleaned the windshield. Still, another manhandled a large gas can and shoved the funnel into the car’s fuel tank. Top-level pit crews could get everything done in as little as eleven seconds, helping the driver maintain his spot in the race.

I assumed pit crew members were master mechanics. Wrong. At least in most instances. Decades ago, pit crew coaches tried to turn trained mechanics into pit crew members. That seemed to be the logical thing to do since mechanics knew mechanics. But their efforts didn’t work. Mechanics may have known the nuts and bolts of the job, but most didn’t have the skill, strength, and agility needed to work on a pit crew. They were not performers, and the pit crew required people who could show out. Athletes fit that bill, so coaches began hiring and teaching athletes to be mechanics.

Pitting a car in record time—a time that takes a pit crew to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series—takes years of work. In one survey, where thirty-three pit crew members responded, nearly three-fourths had participated in sports. 

Not everyone would enjoy pit life. Joseph didn’t. However, he was partly responsible for putting himself in the pit. But God was also involved in this process. Joseph’s two dreams let him know he would rule over his family one day. His mistake came in blabbing that to his brothers, who already hated him because their father showed Joseph partiality. And because Joseph had a habit of reporting their bad behavior to their father. A tattle tale.

Joseph’s pits later transformed into other types: slavery, false accusations, and prison. These he had no control over. Only God did. It wasn’t until Joseph had been elevated to ruler over all of Egypt and saved his family from dying of starvation that he could look back and see how God had worked through all of his pits.

I’ve endured quite a few pits in my lifetime as well. Some I groveled in because I made bad decisions. Others, I mired in because of someone else’s decisions and actions. Either way, I found myself in pits I didn’t enjoy. Being there, however, did give me time to reflect.

When in a pit, asking “Why am I here?” is a good starting point. If sin has put us there, the proper response is confession and repentance. God may then move us out of the pit or let us stay there a little longer so that we learn our lesson and don’t repeat the same wrong moves in the future. If others’ decisions have put us there, we may have no control over the situation. We have to wait it out.

Although we might not consider it, God can put us in pits even if we haven’t sinned—as long as the situation doesn’t violate His holy nature. He puts us there to teach us essential lessons or prepare us to accomplish His future plan. Moses’ pit was the backside of desert tending flocks. Paul’s appeared in the form of jail, beatings, shipwreck, misunderstanding, and a whole list of other things. David’s involved betrayal by one of his sons.  

We need patience and attentiveness regardless of why we’re in the pit. Trust also weighs in. We can trust God to do what’s right even when the pit appears wrong. God wants us to trust His wisdom, guidance, and timing. And when the time is right, God will lift us from the pit and restore us.

Ask God what He wants to teach you when you find yourself in a pit.

Father, I trust You to deliver me from my pits and teach me vital lessons while I’m there. 

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