Ugly Praise

Joseph’s own brother Rueben was responsible for Joseph’s pit. It was Rueben that suggested they throw Joseph in the pit. We don’t know what happened but whatever it was; we know that Rueben was there when Joseph was thrown into the pit but he was not there when Joseph was lifted out. Rueben was surprised and shocked, because he saw Joseph go into the pit, he saw Joseph struggling and begging to be delivered from the pit but now he’s looking into that same exact pit expecting to see pitiful Joseph, full of fear and confusion, stressing and crying and begging to be delivered, but Joseph wasn’t there. When we read the story of Joseph there are some things that cannot be denied, because the scripture makes it clear that Joseph was chosen by God, Joseph was anointed by God, Joseph had a destiny given by God, Joseph was favored by God, Joseph was favored by his earthly father and God had His hand on and was with Joseph. That sounds like a winning combination and judging from that criteria it would look like Joseph had it made, it would seem as though he was living the good life. But when we read the Bible we find out that this same Joseph who had everything going for him, who was anointed by God, who was favored by his earthly father and had so many great advantages; this same Joseph one day found himself in a pit. If somebody told you when you became a Christian that all your problems would be over and that you would never be hurt again, that you would never cry again, that you would never suffer again………They Lied To You! Psalms 34:19 tells us; “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.” The point that I’m trying to make is that Christians have problems too; Christians get sick, Christians get in debt, Christians get divorced, Christians get their hearts broken, Christians get in places they shouldn’t be. Sometimes you fall in, sometimes you jump in, and sometimes you’re pushed in, but we sometimes find ourselves in a pit. But regardless of how you got there or why you’re there, a pit is a pit and if you stay there you will die. Dreams die in the pit, ministries die in the pit, gifts, callings, marriages, families and churches die in the pit.

I’m going telling somebody listening to me right now that God is getting ready to do something that is going to blow some people away. God is getting ready to do a new thing in your life. There are some people who saw you in the pit, there are some people that even helped put you in the pit, and they have watched you struggling, watched you pushing and scratching and clawing trying to climb your way out. Some people just can’t stand to see you happy, to see you praising the Lord and being blessed by Him and will do anything to change that. They always want to talk about what you used to do and that’s the point exactly; IT’S WHAT YOU USED TO DO! When they left you were in the pit, the last time they saw you, you were in the pit, and you were a mess. But I came to tell you right now that you are coming out of the pit. I’m not just preaching today, I am declaring to you with authority that you are coming out. I wish somebody would say “I’m coming out.” I don’t know what that pit is for you today: It may be a pit of debt, it may be a pit of sickness, it may be a pit of bondage or addiction, it may be a pit of despair or depression, it may be a pit of marriage problems, it may be a spiritual pit that looks so deep and so dark and impossible that you feel like giving up and you just don’t feel God like you used to and you’re dry and discouraged. I don’t know what your pit is; they come in all different shapes and sizes. I don’t know what that pit is for you but I want you to look at your neighbor and tell them, “I’ve spent my last night in the pit.”How many of you know that Weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning……..

Rueben came back to the pit where he last saw Joseph but Joseph wasn’t there. There are some people that thought they knew you pretty good. They thought they knew where to look for you. They even talked about your pitiful condition to other people. But that my brothers and sisters was yesterday! Yesterday I was in the pit. Yesterday it looked like I was going to die in the pit. Yesterday I felt like I was going to die in the pit. But I heard a word, I heard Joseph say don’t die in the pit. I heard Joseph say the fall doesn’t have to be fatal. Don’t die in the pit, don’t quit dreaming, don’t quit believing, don’t quit trusting and don’t quit expecting.