Keep Us From the Pit
“The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught. The LORD has made himself known; he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands.” (Psalm 9:15–16, ESV)
The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught.
Heavenly Father, I often look at the world around me, wondering, “What are they doing?” There are so many people trying to do things their own way. People continually reject your commands and words, thinking they are smarter than You. Yet, it never works out for them, does it? They always end up falling into a pit they dug for themselves. They end up being snared in their own traps, hanging upside down in a tree, wondering how they got there.
And while they hang there, they yell at You, Father. They are angry that you “let them” get into this situation. They never take the time to acknowledge their own guilt. They don’t learn from their mistakes. Once they are cut from their own trap, they will set another trap. Once they are pulled from the pit, they will dig another one. They think, “It didn’t work last time because I didn’t try hard enough.” So they try harder. They dig a deeper pit—create a stronger trap that will one day ensnare them.
Yet, Father, I have to be honest. I see many of these things in myself. I don’t want to be like the Pharisee who prayed, “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.” (Luke 18:11–12, ESV). I want to be like the tax-collector who prayed, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” (Luke 18:13, ESV). Father, I am a sinner. I continually walk away from you and fall into my own traps. I pray that you would use the foolishness of the world to help me see my own foolishness and bring me closer to You. As I see my own sin, Father, I ask that you would be merciful to me and forgive me.
The LORD has made himself known; he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands.
Father, I often wonder why we have so easily walk away from you. It’s not like you haven’t made it clear how we’re supposed to live. You have made yourself known through your Word. It clearly tells us how you’ve created us to live. Why do we so easily neglect this book? Why do we so easily think we can do this on our own—apart from your guidance? Please forgive us!
Yet, you’ve made yourself known in another way—in our hearts. You’ve told us you’ve written the law on our hearts (Romans 2:15). It there and we carry it with us wherever we go. When we walk away from you, and begin digging a trap for ourselves, something inside us tells us to stop what we’re doing. Please forgive us for ignoring the law you’ve written on our hearts!
Father, it seems like that would be enough, but you’ve done more. You have executed judgement. The wicked fall into their own traps. The righteous flourish. This is another way you’ve made yourself known to us. We not only learn your ways through your Word, and the law written on our hearts, but we should also learn by the way the world works. You are bringing judgement on those who have walked away from you. Help us see that, learn from it, and repent. Help us turn back to you and walk in the path you’ve created for us, Father! We no longer want to rely on ourselves and our own ability/wisdom. When we do that, we are easily trapped. We want to walk freely in this world. The only way we can find that freedom is in You. So, please Father, create in us a clean heart, renew a right spirit within us, and lead us in paths of righteousness for your name’s sake!