Most of us know what it feels like to be in a pit.
Sometimes the pit is connected to our own choices. Other times, it comes from something we never chose at all. It might look like depression, addiction, financial pressure, a struggling marriage, grief, or simply a season where you feel stuck and can’t see a clear way forward.
In Pulled From the Pit, Pastor Todd Doxzon taught from Jeremiah 38 and reminded us that no matter how we got there, God is still able to meet us in the pit, send people to help us, and bring us out.
Sunk
Jeremiah found himself at the bottom of an empty cistern because he had continued telling the people what God told him to say. His obedience made him unpopular, and eventually he was lowered into a place with no water, no food, and no way to climb out on his own.
Jeremiah 38:6 says, “So Jeremiah sank in the mire.”
What makes his story so important is that Jeremiah wasn’t in the pit because he had walked away from God. He was there because he had been faithful to Him. Sometimes we assume that if life gets difficult, we must have done something wrong. Jeremiah reminds us that obedience doesn’t guarantee an easy road.
Scripture is full of people who experienced difficult places while God was still very much at work. Jonah found himself inside a fish. Peter sat in prison. Paul and Silas worshiped from a jail cell. The pit may look different for each of us, but being there doesn’t mean God has abandoned us.
Sent
Jeremiah couldn’t get himself out of the cistern. He needed someone else to notice what was happening and do something about it.
That person was Ebed-Melech.
When he heard what had happened to Jeremiah, he went to the king and spoke up. He was then given thirty men to help with the rescue. Together, they lowered ropes into the cistern and pulled Jeremiah out.
Pastor Todd called it the “rope of hope.”
There’s something important in that picture. Sometimes God answers our prayers by sending people. He may use a friend who checks in, a Group that walks with us, someone who offers practical help, or a person willing to step into an uncomfortable situation because they know we shouldn’t face it alone.
And sometimes, we’re not Jeremiah in the story. We’re Ebed-Melech. There may be someone around us who is struggling, and God is asking us to notice, speak up, and do more than simply feel bad for them. We may not be able to solve everything they’re facing, but we can still pick up the rope.
Saved
One of the hardest parts of receiving help is admitting that we need it.
Pastor Todd talked about how pride can sometimes keep us in places God is already trying to lead us out of. We pray for help, but when help arrives in a form we didn’t expect, we can be tempted to dismiss it.
Psalm 40:1-2 says, “I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps.”
God hears us in the pit. But sometimes His answer looks like a person standing above us holding a rope.
Pastor Todd shared this personally through a recent health scare with his mom. After receiving an early-morning call that she had suffered a seizure and was barely able to speak, he found himself watching someone he loved deeply face a pit she could not climb out of on her own. As the church began praying, her condition improved, and just days later she was able to be back in an Encounter.
In the middle of that frightening moment, the few words she was able to say were simple: “All I need is Jesus.”
Sometimes You Need the Rope
Jeremiah’s story reminds us that nobody climbs out of every pit alone. There will be seasons when we need someone else to pray, encourage, show up, or help carry what feels too heavy. Receiving that help isn’t weakness. It may be the very way God is answering our prayer.
There will also be seasons when God puts the rope in our hands. Someone around us may need more than our sympathy. They may need a phone call, a meal, a conversation, a prayer, or simply someone willing to stay close while they find their footing again.
So take an honest look at where you are today. If you’re in the pit, don’t be afraid to reach for the help God sends. And if you’re standing near someone who is sinking, don’t just notice.
Pick up the rope.
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