Proverbs 28:13 “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.”

Have you ever been stuck in a situation in life and not known how to get out? No I don't mean having your car stuck in the mud and you having to call a tow truck, although that is as good an analogy as I can find. I mean that you find that you are stuck within the muck and muddy mire of the slough of despond and there seems to be no escape through your own abilities. No matter how much you try and rock the vehicle, no matter how you pile branches under the tires, you just find yourself spinning the wheels and getting nowhere. Have you been there? Are you there right now? I have been there repeatedly and every time it is not a pleasant experience, but what I have found each and every single time I am stuck is that there is something in my life that should not be there. I am carrying some treasured baggage and I have to get rid of that burden before I can get out of the rut in which I have found myself.

Most of the time, I have found that I by myself am unable to even remove that heavy weight which has been dragging me in the mud, but before God can help me I need to decide that I want it gone. We must then call out to God for assistance. Sure enough a “heavenly” tow-truck is out where we are; the driver says “That's your problem!” and He dumps whatever load it was holding us back, then we are towed out of the mud. With a wink and a nod, He tells us that we are free to go and He will see us on down the road.

We all have those carefully horded burdens. We have problems we have explained away, we have secret sins which we have been unable to get out of our lives. Each one of these things that could be holding us down must be given to God and we must renounce them. If it is a sin we keep secret, it must be made public so that those few fellow believers who now know may help prevent us from returning again to it like a dog to it's vomit. It it is treasured baggage then we must decide if the baggage is worth more to us than God's sacrifice. If it is an explainable or a self-excusable problem, we need to stop explaining or excusing it and instead we must own up to it and pray for God's help to remove it.

God wants us to be safe and secure in His gentle arms. He does not enjoy seeing us struggle through the consequences of our own choices. Those consequences bog us down, and become excess baggage in our lives, but God wants our hearts to be only for Him through our own choice. He is willing to help us, but we must first choose that we want His help, and only then will He act. His mercy shines throughout every single action He takes in our lives.

God's mercy overflows whatever problems may be trying to hold us back. The muck, the mud, the mire that tries to hold us is overpowered and we are free. The stains and filth on our clothes are washed away in that great deluge. God's mercy shines brightly and we must only decide that we want it, every single day. So if you find yourself stuck, if you ever are unable to get out of that rut, if you find yourself sinking in that slough, call out to God, get rid of the baggage, and He will be there to pull you out. Fortunately we do not have to wait for a tow-truck or a passerby to help. He is there with us every hour of the day, through every problem we have, and is always available to aid us when we need Him.

O Love divine, what has thou done!
The immortal God hath died for me!
The Father's coeternal Son
bore all my sins upon the tree.
Th' immortal God for me hath died:
My Lord, my Love, is crucified!