When my son was little, we used to watch the ‘Thunderbirds’ programme, where International Rescue used their amazing spacecraft to save the world. One of his favourite episodes was called the ‘Pit of Peril’, when the Thunderbirds team was called on to rescue a U.S. army vehicle known as the ‘Sidewinder’ which had fallen into a burning landfill before the army crew died of heat exposure. This pit of peril was so deep that only the specialised equipment carried by the Thunderbirds could rescue the army crew.
Life often seems to have ‘pits of peril’ for us (financial problems, health problems, relationship problems, loneliness, bereavement, persecution), but the common feeling during those times is that of being out of our depth. As we cry to God out of the depths (Ps 130:1), we can experience rescue from God, however: David said that God ‘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.’ (Ps 40:2-3)
This morning, we looked at 3 pits of peril and saw that we can have hope that blessings will run alongside the troubles we face and that rescue will come in God’s time because of His unfailing love. It’s not down to us. It’s not up to us. Ps 121:2 says ‘My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.’ Ps 124:8 says ‘Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.’ Whether we need individual rescue or collective help, we can be confident in God that He will rescue us and set our feet on a rock, giving us a firm place to stand and putting a new song of praise into our mouths.