I live on a 500-acre ranch in Texas. There are cattle on the ranch, and they are free to roam the entire property.

Last week, I came upon a momma cow stuck in the mud on the edge of a small pond. The back half of her was in the pond, and the front legs were on the shore. No telling how long she had been there, but it was clear that she was exhausted from trying to get out.

My wife and I tried to pull her up with a rope wrapped about her rear, but that was futile. Two adults won’t have much luck lifting a 1,000 pound bovine. It was getting dark, so we said goodbye and prayed that the coyotes wouldn’t discover her in the night.

The next morning, I returned to the pond to find the cow alive and still stuck in the mud. But now she was joined by the rest of the herd. I guess the adage “misery loves company” applies to cows, too. They politely stood there and mooed while I huffed and puffed to dig out the muck that enveloped the cow’s rear legs and underside. Despite three hours of muck-digging, the cow didn’t budge. She tried to stand up, and I tried to push her out, but the mud wouldn’t release her. Even my “green wellies” rubber hunter boots got stuck in the mud beside her. Things began to look grim.

As I struggled to liberate this dumb animal from the mud, my mind shifted from ranching to theology. I remembered the words of Psalm 40:2– “The Lord lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.”

This cow’s dire situation served as a powerful word picture of the human condition — namely that men and women are stuck in a state of sin, and that no amount of human striving can liberate us. No good works, clean living, charitable giving, or sacrifices will set us free from the curse of the fall. We need outside help.

Only God’s power, love, grace and mercy can lift us out of our pit of despair. Only the sacrifice of Jesus can pay the debt of sin that put us in the mud in the first place.

We were as good as dead, spiritually speaking, but then Christ made a way to set us free. Ephesians 2:1-2 tells us as much: “As for you, you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you used to walk when you conformed to the ways of this world.” Colossians 2:13 continues: “You were dead because of your sins and because of your sinful nature… Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins.”

Folks, just like that old cow was physically stuck in the mud, you and I are spiritually stuck in sin. But Christ is ready to lift us out. All we have to do is ask. As Romans 10:13 states, “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.”

As for the cow, our rancher neighbor next door came over with his John Deere tractor, put a sling under the cow’s back side, and lifted her out of the pond. Just like the cow, we need more than human or animal strength to rescue us.

So the next time you are stuck in an impossible situation, remember that old cow. And call on the Lord. He will rescue you, I promise.