You Don't Have to Hit Rock Bottom

I don’t know where the phrase, “Rock Bottom” originated from. So, I asked Chat GPT. Here is what it said. The phrase "rock bottom" originated in the 19th century, primarily from mining terminology. In mining, "rock bottom" referred to the solid rock layer beneath soil or sediment—the lowest point that could be reached during excavation. Miners would dig until they hit this unmovable layer, meaning they had gone as deep as possible. Over time, the term evolved metaphorically to describe the lowest possible point in a person’s life, situation, or condition—whether emotionally, financially, or otherwise. By the late 1800s and early 1900s, it was widely used in this figurative sense in both literature and everyday language. Today, it's commonly associated with moments of crisis or turning points before a person begins to recover or rebuild.

There are many cases in scripture where we read of people who hit “Rock Bottom.” The first one that comes to mind is Jonah. A prophet of God, he disobeyed God’s instructions and ended up in the belly of a fish. The Bible says, “The word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me. But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD” Jonah 1:1-3. Jonah sought to escape the presence of the LORD. He ran away as far as he could. But it only caused him to hit rock bottom.

I think about the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15:13-20. He squandered his estate with loose living. He found himself feeding pigs! He wasn’t prepared when a famine occurred, and he began to be impoverished. The prodigal son hit rock bottom.

Another example is with King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel chapter four. The prophet Daniel interpreted the dream of the king and was appalled at what it meant, Daniel 4:19. The king was like a tree that was about to be cut down! Nebuchadnezzar, like Jonah and the prodigal son didn’t have to hit rock bottom. Daniel gave him the following advice: “Therefore, O king, may my advice be pleasing to you: break away now from your sins by doing righteousness and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, in case there may be a prolonging of your prosperity,” Daniel 4:27. It would be one year before the king would be cut down and have his sovereignty removed from him, Daniel 4:31. He hit rock bottom!

Do we ever finding ourselves seeking to run away from the presence of the LORD? Do we seek to run back to a world of sin from which we’ve been delivered from, to squander the blessings God has given to us? Have we ignored godly advice repeatedly?

Hitting rock bottom is no fun! It certainly doesn’t give glory to God, Romans 3:23. But the good news is that we don’t have to remain there. Jonah cried out to God and was given mercy. The prodigal son was able to return to his father and was welcomed with compassion. Even a Gentile King like Nebuchadnezzar was given mercy from God when he fully recognized that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind…, Daniel 4:25.

We don’t have to hit rock bottom! We simply must trust what the Most High God says in His word, Proverbs 3:5-6. In life, we can live and learn or learn and live. As we think about our souls and marriages, it’s always best to Learn and Live from God’s word. We can’t outrun God or think we can hide from Him! We shouldn't assume we can defy God and rise again after hitting rock bottom. I think about Ananias and Saphira in Acts 5. They hit rock bottom but didn’t even know it until it was too late, Acts 5:1-10. They probably thought all would be well. They were wrong. So, what should we do? A great place to start is by taking advice Daniel gave to the king. First, break away from our sins. Second, practice righteousness. Third, show mercy.

One final thought: When we do hit rock bottom and then come to our senses, respond like king Nebuchadnezzar did: “But at the end of that period, I Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever; For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, But he does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth; And no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, ‘What have you done? Daniel 4:34-35

Benjamin Lee