Laura Ingle  Key scripture – “Look to the rock from which you were hewn and to the quarry from which you were dug” (Isaiah 51:1).

The way that the prophet Isaiah stated it sounds much more noble and respectable than its literal meaning, for in the Hebrew text the word “quarry” actually refers to “a hole.” Or, as the old King James Version translates it: “Look unto . . . the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.”

What excellent advice! Before we get all enamored with our high-and-mighty importance, it’s a good idea to take a backward glance at the “hole of the pit” from which Christ lifted us. In fact, let’s not just think about it; let’s admit it.

Did you know that some of the greatest saints have crawled out of the deepest, dirtiest, most scandalous “holes” you could imagine, and that was what kept them humble, honest men and women of God, unwilling to be glorified or idolized.

The next time we’re tempted to believe our own stuff, and become prideful, let’s just look back to the pit from which we were dug. It has a way of shooting holes in our pride.

Remembering the depths from which we have come has a way of keeping us all on the same level: God loves all of us and we are all recipients of God’s precious and awesome grace.

We need to remember that when we peel off our masks, others are not repelled but drawn closer to us.

“There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.” (1 Samuel 2:2).

Pray this – My Precious Heavenly Father, when I look back , I fall on my knees and I worship and praise You because I know the pit of destruction that You saved me from. “He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.” (Psalm 40:2-3). It is only because of Your grace that I am free. All my shackles have been removed and You have washed all the filth of sin, shame, and death from me with the blood of Jesus. “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” (Psalm 103:2-5). I no longer stand on sinking sand because my feet are planted firmly on Jesus, the Rock. “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” (Matthew 7:24-27). In Jesus’ Name, The Rock, I pray, Amen.