Finding God at rock-bottom? Let me tell you a story.
I am actually new to blogging. Brand new. Like a-week-or-two-old kind of brand new.
My husband, children and I have been through many tests the last seven years, mostly financial. Are you like me? Maybe you decided to stay at home with your children.
I bet you thought things would look differently than they do right now. Maybe you feel like you have hit one wall after another. Perhaps you are wondering where God is and when He is going to rescue you.
I don’t know the answer to that.
But let me share a few things God has shown me.
Finding God at rock-bottom
I remember one morning, sitting on my couch in our living room. Our money was so tight that I could not even squeeze one drop out of it. I told God that I felt like I was at the bottom. And ever so quietly and gently, I received the answer I did not want to hear:
I am at the bottom. So, if you want to be with me this is where we are going to hang out.
Oh, this is not the answer I wanted to hear. I wanted to hear that He was going to rescue me right away. At the time, I believed I would wake up in the morning and have my prayers answered. The income would flow like honey. God’s provisions would be as evident as the glass on my coffee table. The season of being uncomfortable would end. Quickly.
But God’s Word tells me this:
“For this is what the high and exalted One says—
he who lives forever, whose name is holy:
“I live in a high and holy place,
but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly
and to revive the heart of the contrite.” Psalm 57:15
And throughout the years of hanging out at the bottom, this is what God has shown me. That when everything else is stripped down to the studs, the Foundation remains. And in the stripping down, God is removing those boards and bricks that serve as a barrier in my relationship with Him. My pride. My sense of self-reliance. My walls.
So, let me encourage you today. If you, like I once did, feel that you are headed to the bottom, don’t resist it. Know that God is there. And as the sounds and noises of the world up above fade, you will find that His voice grows clearer as you fall. And He is there to catch you. Not only that, He will hold you, and you will find that WHEN you emerge, you will be more like Him. All of this, from hanging out . . . at the bottom.
Guest article by Rachel Haller Kelley of Rachel’s Raft
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Boy I needed that today. Thank you.
Blessing in Christ!
Thank you! I am so glad you were encouraged!
Thank you! I am so glad you were encouraged
Thank you! I needed this reminder today. Beautifully written by the way! 🙂
Thank you. I appreciate your kind words.
So glad I took the time to read this. Thank you for posting what I needed to hear.
Thank you. I am glad it blessed you.
Thank you for being so real and telling it like it is. I have had to learn how to trust God in so many areas of my life and He has never failed me. It’s not that everything is how I want it but the peace that comes with acceptance of His loving Will. God Bless You.
Thank you, Carolyn. It is true. He will not fail us. It just sometimes looks like His way of “saving” us from ourselves and our circumstances is not how we envisioned it. But is most certainly does, my friend, doesn’t it? 🙂 Blessings to you.
I am a nurse that has not worked in a little over a year. I homeschool my twin girls who are 9. Without my income, money has been so extremely tight, that I feel so guilty when the girls want something or to go somewhere that I can’t afford. I too, feel like I am at rock bottom. Have been praying about our finances improving w/o me going back to work. One of my girls is dyslexic and strong willed. It is difficulty to teach her. I tried babysitting, and it didn’t go well. This was an encouragement. I would love to read how God answered your prayers in his own time. I feel now that there is no answer. I pray daily about this. I am considering going back to work, but I simply do not feel peace about it. I prayed for 18 years to have these babies and don’t want to miss the time with them. This past fall is the first time I got to take them to fall festivals, as I worked weekends for 7 years. Homeschooled my girls from k-3 during the week. Any way this is so long sorry, but it was wonderful to read it.
Teresa,
Thank you for sharing your story with me, too! I would encourage you to follow my Facebook page, Rachel’s Raft. You will see that have been through many years of testing. I think you will find the stories encouraging. You will have continue to pray about where the Lord is leading you. As far as my own circumstances, I remember praying about going to work outside the home but the Lord made it clear to me that I was not to “go out and rescue my family,” but that He and He alone would do it. It is an amazing story, I hope you will follow it, and I hope it encourages you. Many blessings to you!
Thank you for posting this I feel a lot better now.
Thank you! Blessings to you!
oh yes when I had dreams of being a stay at home mum and knew that is what I was going to do I had no idea of the reality of living on one income. We had some really tough times but have always made it through and in a way looking back on those times makes our marriage and family stronger. Something you can’t always see or understand when you’re going through it.
take care xxxx I wish something like this had been around 8 years ago when I had my first little one:)
Thank you for sharing this post, Rachel. I enjoyed reading it, and I agree! My husband and I have experienced some uncomfortably tight financial stretches, and my own parents had very, very little while I was growing up.
Having grown up in a home with very little income or possessions, I want others to know that it’s what is unseen that makes a home full or empty! I hope mama’s are encouraged at the bottom to continue on in joy “…do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10. Your children will be so much fuller in house physically empty but filled up with love, and hope and faith in Jesus Christ than anything this world can offer. And when you feel anxious…
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”
Isaiah 43:1c-3
It is amazing the things God uses to speak to us – like browsing Facebook at 10:30pm to find the words, “I am at the bottom. So, if you want to be with me this is where we are going to hang out” from a blog post. Thank you so much.
100% relatable!! And He told me the same thing, pretty much. I remember crying out to my husband and to God, not to long ago actually saying why does this have to be so hard! I want to raise my children! ME!! Not anyone else! I felt so strong to stay at home with my children, why is it then so incredibly hard. Where are you Lord. I remember the financial pressure felt like an elephant sitting on my chest at times. But He has not left us. He weeps when we weep. And rejoices when we rejoice. I would not trade life experiences for anything. For it is in those times, God reveals Himself so strong and I learn so much and come out a stronger woman every time. Thanks for sharing your heart!! ❤️❤️❤️