At some point in life, we all will find ourselves in some kind of pit, the darkness settling around us

like a paralyzing blanket of hopelessness. That deep, dark pit may have many names, but easily
becomes a prison from which escape seems impossible. The journey out is a process of steps
uniquely planned by your Father. He is the Guide for this step-by-step journey.

Step One: Wait for God.

Step Two: Cry out for help.

Step Three: Count on God.

In this world, there are few certainties. God is one. His promises are true and we can wholly trust
Him to keep His Word, to do exactly what He promises to do. In the key passage today, we find an
impressive set of promises. God promises to free us - direct us - restore us - give us joy and invites us
to join Him in Kingdom work. Wow! That is quite an impressive "to do list" when you are sitting at
the bottom of an ugly pit, with the shattered pieces of your life scattered around you. But God's
ways are not our ways.

In Romans 11:33, Paul writes "Oh, what a wonderful God we have! How great are his riches, wisdom,
and knowledge. How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his methods." (NIV)

God is drawn to brokenness. What an amazing truth, that He turns first to the broken. Psalm 40:1
says "He turned to me." Notice it does not say that David, the author, turned to God. I don't think
that David could turn to God! Knowing the desire of David's heart and understanding his weakness,
God heard his cry and turned to David just like God will hear your cry and turn to you!

During the darkest hours, I questioned God continually. I flung my anger at Him like a spear. My
heart and soul were filled with fear and confusion instead of faith and trust. Yet, He never turned
away from me. He knew every tear that I cried. Out of those tears and brokenness has come the
most effective and powerful chapter of my life! I am convinced that the more we are broken, the
more we are used. You can count on God. You can credit His grace to your account!

Mercy is when we don't get what we deserve.

Justice is when we get what we do deserve.

Grace is when we get what we do not deserve.

We are trophies of God's grace and we can count on Him.

Step Four: Be patient.

Psalm 40:1 "I waited patiently for the Lord."

In this verse, "patiently" literally means "without tiring" or "with perseverance". Be patient with
yourself. Don't give up on you. No one gets depressed overnight and no one conquers depression
overnight. It is a marathon, not a fifty yard dash! On my journey, it took 45 years to hit rock bottom.
It has taken me four years to climb out ... this far. I am still climbing! We must be patient. We must
be willing to persevere. Don't give up! Just give in and allow God to take control. He will turn that pit
into an altar on which your broken spirit can be laid as a sweet sacrifice of praise.

Step Five: Don't give up.

Philippians 1:6 "And I am sure that God who began the good work within you will keep right on
helping you grow in his grace until his task within you is finally finished on that day when Jesus Christ
returns."

God is at work! The very fact that you are reading this devotion is proof that the Father has ordered
your steps so that you can hear my story. That may be because you are in a pit and you need help or
maybe because someone you love is in that pit and you need to help them. God wants you to
experience restoration and then to be a vessel of restoration for others.

Years ago, in a large southeastern city, the great pianist, Paderewski, was scheduled to perform. The
city was alive with excitement and the day finally came. In the crowd at the concert was a young
mother clutching the hand of her small son. Hoping to inspire him to practice, she had brought him
to hear the master perform. As they sat and waited for the concert to begin, she turned her head to
look at the people as they filled the auditorium. The little boy saw his chance to escape. He quietly
slipped from his seat, walking down the aisle toward the stage. Just as he reached the orchestra pit,
a spotlight hit the grand piano and he gasped at the beauty of the instrument. No one noticed the
little boy as he slipped up the side stairs to the stage and climbed up on the piano stool. No one
noticed him at all, until he began to play "Chopsticks". The concert hall fell silent. Then people began
to shout. "Get him away from that piano!" Backstage, the Master heard the crowd and grabbing his
coat, rushed to the little boy's side. Without a word, he bent down and, placing his hands on either
side of the boy's, began to compose a beautiful counter melody to "Chopsticks". As they played
together, he whispered in the little boy's ear, "Don't stop! Keep on! Don't quit!"

Right now, right where you are, understand that your Father is standing beside you, with His arms
wrapped around you. Listen as He gently speaks, "Don't stop! Keep on! Don't quit!"

I know that the music of your darkened soul may be filled with chaos and dissonance, but even now,
the Master is composing the "rest" of your song. One day very soon, it will be a song of beauty and
light! One day, you will come out of the dark!

One of the first lessons we teach our children is to say "thank you" when receiving a gift or a
compliment from someone. It is just good manners, right? When it comes to thanking God for all He
has done in my life, my manners need a monumental overhaul. I am quick to lay my needs and
concerns at His feet in prayer, but when those prayers are answered, I tend to get so wrapped up in
the answer that I forget to thank the One who provided the answer. Can you relate? We are not
alone.

While Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, he came to a small town where ten men who had a skin
disease met him. They did not come close to Jesus but called to him, "Jesus! Master! Have mercy on
us!"

When Jesus saw the men, he said, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." As the ten men walked
away, they were healed. When one of them saw that he was healed, he went back to Jesus, praising
God in a loud voice. Then he bowed down at Jesus' feet and thanked him. Jesus said, "Weren't ten
men healed? Where are the other nine? (Luke 17)

We are quick to ask God to meet our needs but we sometimes forget to thank Him for doing so.

While Thanksgiving does remind us to stop and give thanks, Thanksgiving is not just a national
holiday to be celebrated for a few hours each November. Learning to live in the gear of perpetual
thanksgiving is a life changing discipline. Giving thanks should be a natural characteristic and innate
practice of every believer. We should be quick to thank God for all that He has done as well as for all
He is presently doing and going to do in our life. That is where faith comes in.

We may not always understand God's process but we can always trust His heart. A thankful heart is a
trusting heart. Learning to be thankful - even when we cannot see, hear or understand what God is
doing or how He is working - is authentic thanksgiving and the direct result of a living, active and
personal faith in God.

It is said that in Africa there is a fruit called the "taste berry." It changes a person's taste so that
everything eaten after eating the berry tastes good and sweet. A thankful heart is the "taste berry"
of an obedient life. When our heart is filled with gratitude, life is sweeter. Before you cut that turkey
or eat that first bite of dressing, check your heart.

Let's Pray
Lord, I give thanks to You for You are good; Your love endures forever. You are with me so I will not
be afraid. You are my strength and my song and my salvation. You have made this day so I will
rejoice and be glad in it. You are my God and I will give You thanks. You are good and I will lift You up
with my thanksgiving. Father, I praise You because You have conquered and taken away the sting of
death. Today, I choose to give You thanks in all circumstances - no matter what - because I know it is
Your will for me to praise You. Be lifted up, God, and be enthroned in the praises I bring.

In Jesus' name,
Amen.

Now It's Your Turn

It may be Thanksgiving Day on the calendar but for some of us it is a dark and uncertain day.
Remember that our inner attitude does not have to reflect our outer circumstances. We can choose
to give God thanks and we can literally train our heart in an attitude of gratitude.
Go back over the past year. What has God done in your life? Thank Him for each blessing that comes
to mind. Thank Him for answered prayer, spiritual blessings, relational blessings, physical blessings
and material blessings.
Make a list of your blessings. Share them with family and friends.
Make a new commitment today to cultivate a thankful heart.

When golf balls were first manufactured, their covers were smooth. Golfers soon discovered that
after a ball had been roughed up a bit they were able to get more distance out of it. Manufacturers
then began producing golf balls with dimpled covers. Life is a lot like that. It takes some rough spots
to make us go our farthest. It takes some storms to teach us that God is faithful and will provide the
strength to stand firm.

The Apostle Paul knew all about storms. As a fully devoted follower of Christ, Paul was despised,
slandered, mistreated, abused and poor. He had every right to be angry and distressed but instead
chose joy. "We own nothing, and yet we have everything" (2 Corinthians 6:8-10 NLT).

testimony - I never fully understood the amazing truth behind Paul's words because I had never
really lived their truth - until 1995 - when I found myself sitting at the bottom of a deep, dark pit.
Clinical depression, the psychologists and physicians called it. The name was irrelevant to me. All I
knew was that it was the most hellish place I had ever been and I had absolutely no idea how to
escape. I was paralyzed and totally helpless - the perfect setting for a miracle! Sitting at the feet of
Jesus, stripped of my human efforts and impotent plans, I discovered the life changing truth that He
did not come to eliminate the storms in my life. He came to fill those storms with His presence. I was
not delivered from that pit until I was first delivered in that pit.

The highest joy will come through the greatest pain. The greater the pain, the more we are forced to
search for and cling to the hand of God! That only happens when we choose the right attitude
toward pain. Here it is: "Whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For
when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow" (James 1:2-3 NLT).

When was the last time you threw a party to celebrate the trials and storms in your life? Hurricane
parties are common practice in South Florida where we lived for many years. Knowing that the loss
of electricity was likely, we would empty our refrigerator, inviting neighbors and friends to join us in
celebrating the fact that the storm had come and gone and we were still standing. God's ways are
higher than our ways and most human reactions are in direct opposition to the paradoxical ways of
God. Honestly, there are times when what He has asked me to do simply does not make sense - to
me - and there we find the problem. Faith is a matter of blind obedience, not human logic. At the
heart of every storm is victory, just waiting to be claimed. The words of James offer the perfect
perspective for every life storm.

As I mentioned earlier, I can't sew a straight seam, so when my sister began doing needlepoint, I was
duly impressed. One day, she pulled out her latest project, a small Christmas pillow. It was beautiful!
"Turn it over," she said. The back was a mess of knots and mismatched thread going in every
direction. Then the thought hit me. We question God, asking why life is such a mess, railing against
every emotional "knot" and questioning the circumstances that don't seem to match our lives. I can
almost hear Him say, "Yes, but you should see it from my point of view. It is beautiful!"

As women and daughters of the King, we have a different point of view for every life experience. It is
a manger, a cruel cross, an empty tomb and eternity itself. That viewpoint changes everything. It
makes our hearts sing and our souls dance with the truth that we can always count on His joy in us
to face the storms around us! It is the reason we do what we do.

What storm is raging in your life? What step do you need to take in order to exchange your strength
for His? Your Father stands ready to meet you in your darkest hour. He longs to wrap His arms
around you until the winds die down and the waves are stilled. Surrender. Yield to His presence and
power. Celebrate the storm that dashed your battered life on the shores of His unyielding love and
praise Him. He really does provide the strength and power to endure every storm.

Let's Pray
Father, my life is such a mess! I am tired and frustrated and can feel the edge of the darkness closing
in. I'm desperate for You, Lord. I'm lost without You. I feel like a piece of taffy, being pulled in a
thousand different directions. No one seems to understand, Lord, but You. So I come to You right
now with my broken heart, hands open and holding nothing back. I sit at Your feet and wait for the
storm to pass. I love you, Father.

In Jesus' name,
Amen.

Now It's Your Turn

Read and memorize Psalm 46:1"God is our refuge and strength, a tested help in times of trouble"
(NRSV). Every time you face a storm today, remember where your strength is found.
Describe your greatest life storm. What was your response to that storm? What truth did the storm
yield?
Examine the following list of character traits. How have your life storms encouraged growth in each
area? Explain.

Purity_____

Love _____

Power _____

Patience _____

Kindness _____

Understanding _____