The Lord heard my cry. He drew me out of the pit of destruction, out of the mud of the swamp; he set my feet upon a crag; he made firm my steps. – Psalm 40:3-4
Have you ever read the book of Jeremiah? This Old Testament prophet endured so much for the love of God. He is known as “the weeping prophet” because the hard words he had to deliver to the people of Jerusalem broke his heart. He could see the suffering that was coming to the people of Jerusalem. Jeremiah was persecuted, beaten, imprisoned, and witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. You might say that he suffered for the sins of the people–sound familiar?
In this Sunday’s first reading we hear how Jeremiah was thrown into a cistern (an underground water reservoir) for his prophecies and left to die until the king decided to have him pulled out: “There was no water in the cistern, only mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud” (Jeremiah 38:6). What an image: Jeremiah sinking into mud that covered him. Our second reading talks about “sin that clings to us” (Hebrews 12:1). That sure sounds like mud to me!
In our Responsorial Psalm, we hear how the Lord saved David from a similar situation as Jeremiah: “The Lord heard my cry. He drew me out of the pit of destruction, out of the mud of the swamp; he set my feet upon a crag; he made firm my steps” (Psalm 40:3-4). David used the image of a muddy swamp as a metaphor for how sin can entrap and encompass us.
When we get into messy, muddy situations–like patterns of sin–we need someone stronger than we are to pull us out and put us back on the right track. That’s where the Good News of Christ comes in. We don’t have to pull ourselves out all alone. We have a Savior who came from heaven into our mess to pull us out, set us on a firm rock, cleanse our sins, and set us back on His right path (Psalm 23:3). Our job is to cooperate with Jesus as He pulls out of the mud.
Jesus, thank you for coming to die for us to save us, even when we were still in sin (see Romans 5:8). Thank you for not being afraid of our messes and problems and carrying us out of them if we allow You to.