What do you do when you find yourself in the pit?

In this reflection on Psalm 30, John Ortberg explores one of the Bible's most powerful metaphors for suffering: the pit, the depths, the darkness, Sheol.

Sometimes the pit is grief.

Sometimes it's depression, failure, anxiety, physical pain, a broken relationship, a dream that has died, or something completely beyond our control.

And sometimes the night lasts much longer than we ever imagined.

John shares personally about a season when the pain didn't go away the next day...or the next. One thought became especially important:

It will not always be this way.

That doesn't mean circumstances will immediately improve. It doesn't even mean things can't get worse. It means that even in the darkness, God can still be found.

Psalm 30 says, “Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”

We don't know how long the night will last.

But the night doesn't get the last word.

In this episode:

Psalm 30 and the biblical image of "the pit"
What to do when suffering overwhelms you
Why "joy comes in the morning" isn't a formula or timeline
Finding God in darkness
Psalm 139 and finding God in Sheol
How to keep going when circumstances don't improve
Why we can't lift ourselves out of every pit
Mourning and dancing existing together
Hope when the night feels endless

Scriptures:
Psalm 30 • Psalm 139:8 • Genesis 37 • Jeremiah 38 • Daniel 6 • Revelation 21:4

#Psalm30 #JohnOrtberg #Psalms #Suffering #Hope #Prayer #SpiritualFormation #ChristianFaith #BibleStudy #Grief

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00:00 What to Do When You're in the Pit
00:29 What Does "the Pit" Mean?
00:58 Psalm 30 Begins
01:29 Weeping May Last for the Night
01:56 When God Feels Hidden
02:20 Bargaining With God
03:10 You Turned My Wailing Into Dancing
03:37 This Isn't a Formula or Timeline
04:04 The Biblical Image of the Pit
04:44 When Pain Takes Over Everything
05:35 When All You Can Do Is Hurt
05:46 How Long Does the Night Last?
06:06 It Will Not Always Be This Way
06:30 What If Things Get Worse?
06:52 Finding God in the Darkness
07:19 If I Make My Bed in Sheol
07:46 Remember You're Not the Only One
08:25 God Has Met Suffering People Before
08:44 Finding Meaning in the Pit
09:00 When You're Going Through Hell, Keep Going
09:22 You Can't Lift Yourself Out of the Pit
10:07 Laughter Comes Again
10:36 Mourning Becomes Dancing
10:54 God Is Lord Even Over the Pit
11:14 Don't You Give Up