What Do You Do When You Find Yourself In The Pit?

Genesis 37:1-37:19 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, God was with Joseph

That sounds like a winning combination, judging from that criteria it would look like Joseph had it made, it would seem as though he was living the life of riley (You would expect to find his book under lifestyles of the rich and famous by Joseph)

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;

One day Joseph found himself in a pit

I want to stop here for just a minute and tell you; If somebody told you when you became a Christian that all your problems would be over and that you would never be hurt again, you would never cry again, you would never suffer again……… (They Lied)

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all… Ps 34:19

The point 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 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, die in the pit)

· 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 this

· (Rueben was there when Joseph was thrown into the pit, but he was not there when he was lifted out)

a. The point is: Rueben was surprised, Rueben was shocked,

b. Because he saw him go into the pit,

c. he saw him struggling and begging to be delivered from the pit

(But now he’s looking into that same pit expecting to see pitiful Joseph full of fear and confusion stressing and crying and begging to be delivered (but Joseph wasn’t there)

What Do You Do When You Find Yourself In The Pit?

Weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning Ps 30:5

Rueben came back to the pit where he last saw Joseph, and 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 was 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:

Don’t die in the Pit; 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, don’t quit expecting

It looked like Joseph was going to die in the pit, but through a turn of circumstances in a matter of minutes Joseph was up out of the pit on solid ground.

I came to tell you God is going to turn it around:

I don’t know how he’s going to do it I don’t know when he’s going to do it

I come to tell you (he’s going to turn it around) If you learn anything from the bible it is that God is a God of the turnaround.

Joseph, Job, Daniel, The three Hebrew Children, Jonah, Jesus.

From Genesis to Revelation God is turning it around (And if you haven’t been convinced yet, all you have to do is look in the mirror.

Some of you may have been pushers, some of you were thieves and liars, some of you were adulterators and fornicators, some of you were alcoholics and drug addicts.

But that was the old man: That was Before Jesus.

Tell yourself I’ve had a turn around. Now I want you to see something: It happened suddenly

One minute he was in the pit, one minute he was in the dark, one minute it was terminal, one minute it looked like the end, and suddenly everything changed.

· Suddenly he was standing in the sunshine (In an instant everything changed, in one minute what was terminal and staring him in the face was over and behind him).

· I believe you are standing on the verge of a suddenly that is going to change everything.

Peter fished all night and caught nothing, but in one act of obedience (suddenly) he went from nothing to too much.

He went from empty nets to breaking nets, He went from empty boat to sinking boat,

From loss to profit from weeping to rejoicing from a loser to a winner (suddenly).

At the lowest point in Josephs life physically and spiritually, God stepped in.

JUDAH GOT HIM OUT (PRAISE) it wasn’t his coat of many colors that got him out, it wasn’t his anointing that got him out, it wasn’t even his dreams that got him out.

(It was an ugly old Judah) JUDAH means PRAISE—-Rueben got him in, but Judah got him out

I don’t care how you got in the pit I don’t care who it was or what it was.

(I came to tell you, Judah {Praise} will get you out)

The circumstances may not have been of Josephs choosing nevertheless Judah was responsible for getting him out of the pit.

The point I’m trying to make is that (Praise doesn’t have to be pretty to be powerful)

Start where you are. Anybody can put on a pretty praise when the battles over

Anybody can praise God when the sickness is healed

Anybody can praise God when anybody can praise God when the marriage is restored and the family is mended

When you’ve got a good retirement, money in your wallet and money in the bank anybody can praise God

But I’m telling you, it takes something to shout in the face of the devil,

It takes something to praise in the face of the doctors bad report,

It takes something to shout when you don’t have two nickels to rub together,

It takes something when you’re going through the fire, to lift your hands and lift your voice and say:

I will bless the lord at all times his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

The point is: Don’t wait till the battles over (shout now)

Start in the dark with the walls closing in on you

Start where you are laying in that hospital bed Start where you are at the bottom of that pit

Start where you are in the middle of your pain

Start where you are in the inner prison at midnight, with your hands and your feet bound and your back bloody, beaten black and blue.

It may not be pretty (In fact it may be ugly) but give God Praise.

How many knows that some people have a problem with real praisers?

Real praisers get loud, real praisers get undignified,

Real praisers can get messy; they don’t worry about their hair or anything

Real praisers can get offensive to pretty praisers,

Pretty praisers know how to control their praise, and pretty praisers never mess up their hair.

They don’t get loud and they wouldn’t think of running or jumping, or dancing. But God said to tell you: He wants your Praise.

a. God wants your Praise through your tears and your groans,

b. He wants it while your heart is breaking– He wants it through your bloodshot eyes.

c. He wants it when it don’t make no sense, He wants it loud, he wants it crazy

He wants it when you’re going through hell. He wants it when you don’t feel a thing.

I’m trying to get pass this: but I feel like somebody here, you’ve been trying to get everything prim and proper, your waiting till everything is just perfect, you want to give God a fancy praise, you want to dress it all up and make it pretty.

But God said to tell you: Just give him your Ugly Praise

Because he’s going to use your UGLY PRAISE to get you out.

Job lost everything that he had: But after he had lost everything (his heart was breaking into a million pieces, more tragedy than a human being should ever have to endure) but in the middle of it all, (Job gave God an Ugly Praise.)

The Bible says: He arose, he rent his mantle, he shaved his head and he fell down on the ground and he worshipped.

It wasn’t a pretty sight: He worshipped through tears: He worshipped through groans

He worshipped with a broken heart: He worshipped through his pain, through his confusion

He gave God an Ugly praise and God gave him a Beautiful future.

His worship kept him connected to his destiny and in the end God blessed him with more, restored everything and gave him double.

We don’t have the benefit of choosing the problems and trials and afflictions that come our way in life, divorce, and sickness, the loss of a loved one, debt, false accusations, and betrayal.

But I can choose my praise: My weapon of choice is Praise, Praise is a weapon

You see the devils purpose for the pit is to kill your praise. The devil hates your praise.

The devil knows (if you ever get your praise on he’s in trouble)

See we have to learn (If we can get our praise on, we can get the devil off).

Joseph was not the only man of God who ever found himself in a pit:

Ps 40:2 David Said: He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock and established my goings.

Jeremiah the Prophet found himself in a horrible pit:

Jer 38:12 And Ebedmelech the Ethiopian said to Jeremiah: put now these old cast clouts and rotten rags under thine armholes under the cords.

(And Jeremiah did so) They offered Jeremiah: Gods man, the Prophet of God, Mighty man of faith and power, old thrown out filthy rotten stinking rags.

And he put them under his arms and they lifted him out

Someone is not going to like this: but the reason some of you haven’t got out of your pit yet is you’re too proud.

Yeah you want to praise God on your terms, you want to praise God when something big happens,

You want to praise God when you feel like it; you want to praise God when it makes sense.

You want to praise God moderately, conveniently, quietly.

Your pride is keeping you bound, your pride is keeping you in the pit, and your pride is keeping you from your miracle.

Isa 61:13 Put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness:

He didn’t say it would be easy, he didn’t say it would feel good, he didn’t say it would be pretty

(As a matter of fact it’s pretty easy to see that he’s talking about going from a low place to a high place,

· He’s talking about moving out of heaviness into praise, he’s talking about getting something off and putting something better on.

· I came to tell somebody today: my praise may look like old rags to you,

· It may sometime look extravagant, it may be extreme,

· It may be emotional, it may be loud, it may even be offensive,

And some may even go so far as to call it ugly, (But that’s alright: it was an Ugly praise that brought Joseph out of the pit,

(It was an Ugly praise that brought Jeremiah out of the Pit)

It was an Ugly praise that brought Paul and Silas out of their Prison.

And God said he would use Ugly Praise to get you out of your pit, and turn your situation around.

I wish I had some people in here, which still had some old rags hanging in your closet and you’re not too proud to put on an Ugly praise.

I know we’re all dressed up smelling good, looking good (but don’t throw away those old rags).

Jeremiah would tell you: Don’t throw away those old rags (God will use them to get you out).

David would tell you: Don’t throw away those old rags (God will use them to get you out of your pit).

After many years of the ark of God being absent from Israel David the King finally brings it home.

The ark symbolizing: the presence, the guidance, the protection, the favor of God to his people.

David was so excited about bringing the ark back that the bible says: He danced before the Lord with all his might.

(He danced right out of his Kingly Apparel)

Michael David’s wife saw him dancing and despised him in her heart: (His praise embarrassed her)

2 Sam 6:20 Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said how glorious was the king of Israel to day, who uncovered himself to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovered himself!

What she was saying was: That was shameful, that was embarrassing, that was ugly, and that was humiliating.

David could have said: Your right honey, that was no way for a King to act, I should have composed myself,

I should have behaved myself better, I’m sorry that I embarrassed you. But he didn’t.

I’m paraphrasing: But what David said was (if you thought that was embarrassing

And if you thought that was shameful: And if you thought that was Ugly, you haven’t seen anything yet.

2 Sam 6:21-22 And David said unto Michal, It was before the LORD, which chose me before thy father and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel: therefore will I play before the LORD.

22 And I will yet be more vile than thus and will be base in mine own sight: and of the maidservants which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honor.

What David was saying was: If you didn’t like my last praise, if you thought my last praise was over the top,

If you thought my last praise was embarrassing, if you thought my last praise was Ugly. You haven’t seen anything yet.

I wish some of you would quit worrying about what everybody else thinks and just give God the Best praise you have, don’t dress it up, don’t pretty it up, don’t tidy it up, Just give it up.

Give him your Ugly Praise (It may look Ugly to somebody else and it may sound Ugly to somebody else) but by the time it reaches the ears of God it sounds like angels singing.

Joseph was in a pit and they expected him to die there: But an Ugly Judah got him out.

Jeremiah was in a pit and they expected him to die there, but some Ugly rags got him out

Paul and Silas were in the Inner prison embarrassed, humiliated, beaten black and blue, But in the middle of their pain they gave God an Ugly Praise and (God shook the prison off its foundations and every cell was opened and every prisoners bonds were broken).

There are some people that expected you to die in the pit, but you’re going to disappoint them,

There’s an anointing in you that’s bigger than the pit

When Joseph was thrown into the Pit it was empty, but he filled it with praise—If they had filled it with dirt it would have been his grave

But he filled it with praise and he came out.

If you’re not too proud to put on some old rags, if you’re not too proud to put on an Ugly Praise

You can praise your way out, you can shout your way out

You can dance your way out you can run your way out

You can fill your pit with praise and when that pit gets filled with praise, it will spit you out, Just like the whale spit out Jonah.

When Jonah came out of that whale’s belly he wasn’t pretty, but he was free, he was out. He came out ugly, but he came out.

Somebody’s coming out today: God’s going to use your ugly praise to turn it around.