‘I waited patiently for the Lord;
He inclined to me and heard my cry,
He drew me up from the desolate pit,
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…..
Do not, O Lord, withhold
your mercy from me;
let your steadfast love
and your faithfulness
keep me safe for ever.’
(from New Revised Standard Version)
A few years ago local congregations around Pembroke Dock and Manorbier performed “Pilgrim’s Progress”, the story that was written by John Bunyan, and originally printed in 1678. It is a tale of Christian’s journey through life with all the challenges and victories and is wonderfully imaginative. There are characters like Mr Worldly Wiseman, Giant Despair, and Flatterer, as well as Faithful, and Hopeful. Often Christian gets side-tracked from the path and has to be rescued. Christians first problem comes after he meets Evangelist who points out the way he should travel if he wants to leave the City of Destruction and get to the Celestial City. Heading off in the right direction, he immediately falls into the Slough of Despond (a particularly miry bog) and is pulled down by the burden of sin on his back. In the story it is the character Help who comes to his rescue. *
Bunyan’s wonderfully picturesque book describes the Verses from Psalm 40 above. When we fall into a bog of despair and call upon God, He will help us, so that we can sing His praises once again.
*Pilgrim’s Progress once rivalled the Bible for sales – worth reading again!
Lord God,
hear our cries for help;
rescue us from the sin of despair;
and renew within us a sense of trust
that you will hear us,
so that we may sing your praise
once more. Amen.