What is the pit? 

The pit is the place grief takes me where I feel the most despair. In addition to generalized depression and anxiety, there is an overwhelming and paralyzing sense that I am being overcome, that God is allowing me to be sifted by satan. I feel like I am falling into a black hole, and I don’t know when I will hit the bottom. Panic grips me as I wrestle with realizations I am not ready to deal with. When I finally hit what I think is the bottom of the pit, I have no idea how to get out. And I am not sure if I want to try because the effort is too great. God seems very far from me. I am open to more attacks from the enemy, tempted to believe his lies. I  wallow in the contemplation of dark thoughts. My insides are screaming in agony, and relief is all-consuming.

A call to prayer.

When this would happen, after crying out to the Lord over and over, there were some things I started doing that made a difference. The first was a call to prayer. I asked at least ten people to be my Prayer Warriors. These are my people. I can call on them at any time night or day and have confidence they will lift me before our Heavenly Father’s Throne of Grace. I knew who to ask because they were the ones that kept telling me they were praying for me and asking me what they could do. I could tell they meant it. 

If you do not know who or how many, then ask the Holy Spirit to reveal this to you. Yes, this includes the introverts. You may feel like you don’t want to bother them, do it anyway. They have already agreed ahead of time and have identified that they want to do this. I didn’t let pride get in the way and neither should you.

What happened when I called on my Prayer Warriors?

The very act of asking requires humility which God delights in as it shows my utter dependency on His power. It engages others in the battle, solidifying I Am Not Alone. One of satan’s tactics is to isolate- he wanted  me to feel alone. I wasn’t. My Prayer Warriors obedience in lifting me up before our Father cannot be underestimated. It is the first link in the chain. Then Jesus, the Intercessor, personally takes the request before our Father. Out of His great love, He once again stands in the gap. As if His death on the cross was not enough, He continues to be the bridge and our access to the Holy Father. The Father hears and will not deny His Son anything requested in accordance with His Will. The power is unleashed! He commands us to come boldly and promises to give grace in time of need and that is exactly what happened. He has been utterly faithful to this promise. Every. Single. Time.

God’s Amazing Grace

God’s grace still amazes me. Every time I have called on my Prayer Warriors in time of need, God has been faithful to not only spiritually and emotionally lift me up, but physically as well. I can physically feel the lifting. Try and prove me wrong. Just when I think, “it won’t happen this time, I’m not going to get relief,” I call out and relief comes. I then think, “why oh why, did I wait so long to cry out?.”

What if you wait until you are at the bottom of the pit to cry out for help?
You’re struggling in the darkness, and you see no way out. You finally decide to utter some semblance of a cry. Keep on crying out. Just keep on. And then when you have just the tiniest gumption to call on your Prayer Warriors, do it. One at a time. Do it. It may take longer to feel relief because you have spent extra time in the dark, but it will come. 

And then next time, don’t wait so long.

In my distress I called upon the Lord;
    to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
    and my cry to him reached his ears.
Psalm18:6 ESV