Genesis 37:23-24 When Joseph reached his brothers, they ripped off the fancy coat he was wearing, grabbed him, and threw him into a cistern. The cistern was dry; there wasn’t any water in it.

We are exploring the lives of Old Testament characters to discover how to grow closer to God. It might feel out of place to stop at the dark pit into which Joseph’s brothers threw him.

Joseph was a typical youngest child. The youngest is usually the favourite. The older brothers and sister paved the way for him, as they say. They had to take all the beatings, and now the youngest one has a smooth road in life. I speak from experience, because I’m the youngest of six.

But Joseph’s brothers didn’t like their youngest brother at all. They threw him into a pit, planning to kill him later. Put yourself in Joseph’s shoes for a moment. I suspect he was very traumatised as he stared death in the face.

We must be clear with each other—faith doesn’t mean a frictionless life; even God’s children walk through rough country. On the contrary! Chances are good that we will run into a crisis somewhere. And we don’t want to hear it, because we are not really made for off-road driving.

We need to be honest about life. We need to recognise that the world was hurt at the beginning and that we live within that broken life. People make stupid decisions. We also sometimes make decisions that are not so good.

Trauma bursts in uninvited at the front door. But how does that affect our intimacy with God?

God uses these pit moments in our lives to shape us and draw us closer to Him. It is precisely in these ‘off-road’ seasons and ‘pit’ moments that we are forced to a standstill. In that stillness, we finally reach for God, and it is there that our most intimate encounters with Him begin.

It’s a hard reality to face, but things happen. We simply need to build a bridge. In fact, we need to take refuge in God and, even though we don’t have all the answers, know that in a way our relationship with Him can only become more intimate.

Prayer
Father, I must confess it’s not easy to be in the pit, but You know …

Questions
What do I do when I end up in a pit? Do I run from God or towards Him?
Where has a past crisis actually strengthened my faith?
Can I believe today that God is also here, in this dark place, with me?

Do this now
Today, write down what “pit” or hardship you are currently experiencing.
Tell God honestly how it makes you feel and ask Him to be in it with you.
Call or text someone who is going through a difficult time and remind them that God is with them, too.