Get out of the slimy pit: How to experience God's peace in your daily life

I’ve talked recently about some challenges my family is going through. And, as you know, sometimes there are no quick fixes to hard seasons. We might manage really well and trust the Lord well one day. The next day we might we fall short and fall apart in a tub of ice cream. 

And I've noticed that, as much as we might believe the Bible in our minds, sometimes we don’t experience the fruits of that belief. We don’t feel his peace in a tangible way; we just believe it’s possible. That can be so frustrating and disappointing. 

Feeling out of sorts or stressed or fearful is a condition of our souls. It’s not necessarily wrong, but it can be brought into alignment with the Truth as God sees it.

We don’t have to get stuck in our overwhelmed feelings.

For example, consider a time when you've been overwhelmed. It is often a result of your mind rehearsing to yourself what all is going wrong, and meditating on how hard it feels, and wondering what’s going to happen next. Your nervous system gets involved and it becomes a whole thing.

It is a practice. The practice of overwhelm.

We can combat this by actively increasing our awareness of God’s presence and reinforcing to ourselves what He assures us is true.

As we practice this alternative, we make space in our body and mind to actually feel peace, and to experience rest.

Let’s try a virtual group activity to do just that. 

This might feel weird to you and that’s OK. (I won't tell anyone.) I think that God likes to work outside of our tidy boxes sometimes so that we will depend on Him a little more.

 1. First, read Psalm 40:1-3 (NIV) with me.

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.
He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him.

 
2. Now close your eyes and picture this scene from the Psalms, but with YOU at the center.
Picture the pit, the sliminess, the heaviness. This pit represents the hard stuff, the challenges, the obstacles, the uncertainties, the painful places in your heart. Can you see them all around you? What does it feel like? Smell like?

3. Next, picture God pulling you out by your armpits, just like you would do to a small child, and placing you high up on a rock, shiny clean.
What vista do you see from this vantage point? What does your rock look like? How does it feel to stand on this firm spot and be steady and above the challenges? How is your confidence?

4. You can take it a step further and talk to God from this place on your rock.
Ask Him what He’s going to do next. Thank Him for giving you a firm place to stand in your life (even when circumstances may appear to be terribly shaky).

Take a few minutes to do this exercise and really focus on it.

Do you have a clear picture of all of this in your head? This week, when you have a hard moment, when stress arises, when doubt or fear starts to creep in, I want you to return to this place in your mind like a beacon. See yourself on the rock again, feel God lifting you out. God gave us these visuals in scriptures because it’s one of many ways He can relate to us and make His truths come alive.

How do you feel after completing this exercise? What did you experience? Email me at hello@gatheratdawn.com and let me know! 

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Resources related to fear from the free Dawn app…

• Affirmations: Rest and rely on God in Resources > Affirmation Series

• Audio meditation: Move from stress to trust in Audio > Meditations