Rock Bottom

Job 30

Friday, May 29, 2026 | Philip Hopkins

Devastated. That’s how you feel when you hit rock bottom—when all you can see is the wreckage left behind and there seems to be no end in sight. I’ve been there a couple of times. In those moments, you begin to wonder what others think of you, or maybe they tell you exactly what they think. You question your worth, your future, and even God Himself. Where is God in all of this? Why did He allow this to happen? Why didn’t He stop it? You want the pain to disappear and to pretend it never happened.

At first, Job responds from a worldly perspective, much like many of us do. He focuses on how others now view him. In Job 30:9–10, he describes how he has fallen beneath even the most despised people. Haven’t we all felt that way in suffering? When we hit bottom, we often fear how trials will affect our lives and what people will think of us.

But then we see a shift in Job’s focus. He turns his attention toward God. In verse 20, Job cries out, yet God seems silent. Have you ever felt that way? King David did as well. In Psalms 13:1–2, David cries, “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?”

Later, Job experiences blessing after blessing following his suffering. Often, when we finally reach the mountain on the other side, we realize God was with us the entire time—pursuing our hearts even in the pain. Psalms 13 ends not in despair, but in worship: “But I have trusted in your steadfast love… I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me”. 

God uses valleys to draw us closer to Him. In the middle of suffering, we may not see it clearly, but in time we often realize He never left us.