When you hit rock bottom - God is with you

I dwell...with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit. (Isa. 57:15)

Matthew Henry, in the eighteenth century, wrote, 

“He that dwells in the highest heavens dwells in the lowest hearts, and inhabits sincerity as surely as he inhabits eternity. In these he delights.” 1

Franz Delitzsch, in the nineteenth century, put it beautifully: 

The Holy One is also the Merciful One. . . . The heaven of heavens is not too great for him, and a human heart is not too small for him to dwell in. He who dwells among the praises of the seraphim does not scorn to dwell among the sighs of a poor human soul.2

John Oswalt, writing in the twentieth century, says it this way: 

“He offers life to those from whom the life has been all but crushed out; he offers life to those whose spirit has been ground down to nothing. They need not be captive to their sin and shame.”3

Our tenderhearted King knows that being alone at rock bottom is unspeakably painful. He vividly remembers that day on his cross when he said, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt 27:46). He understands. That’s why it’s so important to him to stay with us. 

Not everyone does stick around. 

Some people we thought were friends just aren’t there for us, when everything is on the line. And that’s when rock bottom is more than just sad. It’s terrifying. To be discarded and forgotten, canceled and deleted—our sense of worth shatters. 

We realize, “They never were my friends. 

I never understood what was really going on. How could I have been so blind?” Yet all the while, their happy parade continues down the street, the trumpets blaring and the drums beating, as if we never existed. Because we didn’t. Not to them. Not really. And then we think, “I won’t make that mistake twice!” We withdraw into ourselves. It feels safe. But in truth, the word for that feeling is temptation. We are being tempted to shut God out.

If God liked you except when your life imploded, He would be one of those false friends who walk away when staying true to you starts costing them. But God is steady, loyal, and faithful. The Bible even says he abounds in “steadfast love and faithfulness” (Exodus 34:6). 

He is like the surf on the Gold Coast of Australia. I can still see those waves rolling in 24/7, especially those from Cyclone Alfred. We didn’t cause those waves, but many surfed them. And God’s heart moves that way toward you. You don’t cause his love. Your part is to enjoy his love. He is with the lowly and the contrite, and he is with you. 

Yes, rock bottom is not where we ever wanted to go. But it can be hard to find Jesus anywhere else. 

For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar. (Ps. 138:6)

1. Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, vol. 4, Isaiah to Malachi (McLean, VA: MacDonald, 1985), 332.

2.  C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, vol. 7, Isaiah (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1969), 379.

3. John N. Oswalt, The Book of Isaiah: Chapters 40–66 (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1998), 488