Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD.
Psalms 130:1
Rock bottom. Ever been there? What a dark, desolate place it can be. There is no light of hope. There is no fresh wind of change. There is no music of the promise of tomorrow. There is only the darkness and you. There is only the stagnant scent of your own failure. The only sound you hear is silence as you find yourself in total isolation. Oh! What a deafening noise that can be.
What exactly is rock bottom, or where is it located? Rock bottom is a state of being. It is the lowest possible level of life from which you may sink no further like an impenetrable bedrock. There is nothing below it.
You experience the murky depths of rock bottom in every imaginable way: emotionally, spiritually, psychologically, and even physically. Rock bottom hurts. The descent through the pit that leads to rock bottom ends with the agonizing thud of finality. This is where you are broken. Without even the equilibrium necessary to sit aright, you sense every ounce of your spirit to stand weep from your wounds. You bleed. You sob until your final tear is spent. Then, you lie there and wait. You wait for what’s next—something, nothing, anything, rock bottom.
Even though rock bottom is the hardest and loneliest place, your most treasured blessing is hidden there: the opportunity to start over and to rebuild. Rock bottom holds hope, preserves promise, and cradles change. There are blessings that only rock bottom can give, and I’d like to share four of them with you today.
Revelation
Hitting rock bottom can be a time of great awakening—a time to realize exactly where you are, how you got there, and ultimately, why. I fully realize some land here due to extenuating circumstances, but I have found that the majority who fall in this fissure do so because of selfishness. The insulated bubble where you mindlessly floated popped, and it popped rather abruptly. There’s nothing quite like being slapped in the face by reality to wake one out of one’s dreamworld. Receive it. It’s a gift.
Wake up to realize you’re no longer in your self-absorbed orb. It’s not all about what you want, what you think you deserve, or what you’ve lost. You may have even hurt someone else on your way down to rock bottom. If that has happened, take this time to think of them for a change.
Reflection
There’s nowhere else to look but up, and what a vantage point it is! From the perspective of being flat on your back you can see not only how far you’ve come but also the path that led you there. Look for the steps that led to your falling and destruction. Learn from them. Mark them. Avoid them at all costs so that you may never again repeat them.
Readjustment
Now is the time to change positions in your attitude, your outlook, and your entire way of thinking. Possibly the most valueable and important part of a true restart—a rock bottom readjustment can reset your moral compass and establish the steps of your much brighter future. To falter now could ensure you remain ensared in despair. To make your footing sure, you must realize that the Rock at rock bottom is Jesus Christ!
You cannot escape His presence.
Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
Psalms 139:7-12
Cry out to Him.
…Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
Psalms 61:1-2
He is a steady, sure, solid, and unchanging Rock; and that Rock is Christ!
Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
1 Corinthians 10:1-4
Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
Ephesians 2:19-22
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
Isaiah 28:16
Jesus Christ is your stability. He is the firm foundation upon which to carry out the final blessing of rock bottom.
Rebuild
Your life will continue to fall apart without a sure foundation. A faulty foundation is the very reason everything has crumbled around you time and again. It’s the reason nothing stays together in your life. It’s the cause of the cracked walls in your life. It’s why doors fail to open and close properly. You must have a steady, firm foundation.
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
Matthew 7:24-27
Notice in Jesus’ parable of the wise and foolish builders that He did not say the rains ceased for either one. Rebuilding your life does not promise easy times, but it does ensure a way to withstand the storms. Rebuilding with your own tools will only end in failure. There is only One Who can rebuild your broken life, and only His tools will ensure your success. Joseph Hardin (CuppaJoe) wrote in his article, To Rebuild a Temple, “Just because you’ve arrived at this point in your life does not denote that this is the end. There’s far more to your story than this current chapter.”
You must recognize your need for a Savior. You cannot save yourself. No one can save you but Jesus Christ. He’s the only sinless One who died for you, therefore He is the only One who can save you.
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8
You must repent. Repentance is a transformative change of heart. It is a change in direction. You must change your direction, otherwise you’ll keep falling into the same pit where you now find yourself. You must die to sin. You must deny your own self—your own desires and ways. True repentance surpassess sorrow to become the first step in your spiritual rebirth.
You must bury the dead man through water baptism, taking on the name of Jesus and becoming a brand new creature (see Acts 2:38-39; 2 Corinthians 5:17).
You must receive the Spirit of the Lord through the infilling of the Holy Ghost (see John 3:1-5; Luke 11:11-13; Acts 2:1-4; 12-18).
Connect with a Spirit-filled, Bible-believing, Truth-teaching church; and surround yourself with Godly influences. Practice daily prayer, Bible reading, and devotion time. Think on good things (Philippians 4:8). And you will discover He has delivered you from the pit. And He will steady your feet and guide your steps.
…I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.
Psalms 40:1-3
If you know the Rock at rock bottom, you know a love and security unlike any other. You have been to the pit and felt that peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7). You have an experience—a testimony. Only a broken soul can offer wholeness to others, and only one who has reached the bottom knows the entire way to the top. Help someone else find the Rock at their rock bottom.
God gave this message to Jennifer who then collaborated with Delbert to write this article. She wrote the lion’s share of it.
