The eternal God is your refuge, and his everlasting arms are under you.

Deuteronomy 33:27

Rock bottom, the lowest point one can fall, is a place we all dread. Rock bottom is where we find ourselves after our world, the one we have so carefully designed for our comfort and security, comes crashing down. Sometimes we land hard due to our own choices, sometimes due to a series of uncontrollable life events, but it is painful regardless of how we get there. And the truth is, most of us will get there at some point in our lives. 

 From a spiritual perspective, perhaps rock bottom isn’t the worst place to be. I’ve always been moved by a quote by J.K. Rowling, author of the enormously successful Harry Potter series. “I was set free, because my greatest fear had already been realized, and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter and a big idea. And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.” Sometimes rock bottom is a relief. It’s much less terrifying than continuing to fall. It’s the place where God reveals the myth of our self-sufficiency, and it’s our place of refuge—right in Jesus’ arms. When we land there, we will have finally found the only foundation on which to build our lives. No more pride, no more independence, no more striving or proving or fearing. There’s no reason to fight or fear that hard place when rock bottom is the place God meets us! 

Perhaps you are in that hard place, or still falling, waiting to land hard. Or maybe you just worry about the rock bottom you will one day experience. Wherever you are, you don’t need to wait to turn to Jesus and surrender every little thing. He will catch you, but He won’t fight you for control. Only when you let go of your fierce independence and pride can you fully understand that the solid rock of Christ is the only firm foundation on which to build your life. It’s the place where storms can’t tear you down. It’s the place where you will remain standing no matter what life brings, not because of your own strength and abilities, but because of His. Rock bottom is not to be feared; it is the place of humility and surrender to which Jesus calls you. Welcome it! You are loved! 

Come, let’s sing for joy to the Lord. Let’s shout praises to the Rock who saves us.  Psalm 95:1 (NCV)