4 March, Wednesday — Pits, Pain and Prayer

Wednesday of the 2^nd Week of Lent

Jer 18:18-20
Mt 20:17-28

“Listen to me, O Lord.”

There is something very human in this passage. It is not only about grand persecution. It is about the quiet experience of being targeted, misrepresented, or taken advantage of.

Sometimes the ‘pit’ is not dramatic. It looks like someone repeatedly violating a personal boundary — intruding on your time, your space, your emotional bandwidth — and then turning it around when you finally speak up. Listening carefully, not to understand you, but to catch you. To say, “See? You’re unkind. You’re unreasonable.”

I end up thinking, should evil be returned for good? I tried to be generous. I tried to be available. I tried to help. And now I am the problem?

Jeremiah’s words strike me here: “Remember how I stood in your presence to plead on their behalf…” Even when wronged, before he defends himself to others, he brings it to God. He does not ignore the hurt, but he lays it before the Lord before reacting.

When someone intrudes on my time and space, when I feel cornered or manipulated, my first instinct is either to over-explain or to withdraw coldly. But the Gospel invites something deeper: bring the hurt to God first. Let Him steady my heart so that my response is not driven by resentment. Because here is the danger — if I allow frustration to fester, I become the one digging the pit in my own soul.

Boundaries are not uncharitable. Even Jesus withdrew from the crowds. Even He said ‘No’. Love does not mean unlimited access. Mercy does not mean the absence of limits.

Jeremiah’s prayer reminds me that I can hold two truths at once: I can feel hurt and still refuse bitterness. I can set boundaries and still pray for the one who crossed them.

The real victory is not in winning the argument. It is in keeping my heart free. “Listen to me, O Lord.” If I can say that honestly, then no pit dug by another will define me.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Stacey Fernandez)

Prayer: Lord, Hear me when I feel wronged and hurt. Help me to set my boundaries without bitterness and to bring every pain to You first.

Thanksgiving: Thank You, Lord, for guarding my heart, for giving me strength to respond with patience and mercy, and for Your constant presence when others seek to harm me.