Book Review: Good News at Rock Bottom

By Teri O.

Helpful Wisdom from Isaiah 57:15

I don’t know why the book Good News at Rock Bottom popped up on my Amazon feed, but I’m glad it did. The title piqued my interest, and the subtitle “Finding God When the Pain Goes Deep and Hope Seems Lost” struck me because of what I was going through at the time. Then I read the description that this book “will resonate with anyone who has experienced betrayal, failure, loneliness, or wondered if God even cares.” Wow, I was literally feeling all of those things! Could this book really help me? It was certainly worth a try.

The book itself is compactly sized at 5×7” with a textured cover that feels good to hold in your hand, and off-white pages that are easy on the eyes, making for a nice reading experience. This isn’t a long book, it’s only five chapters plus a preface and conclusion, so you can finish it in a few sittings. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter allow you to reflect on what you’ve just read and consider how it applies to your life. There are lots of footnotes in addition to a general index and a scriptural index for reference.

The author of Good News at Rock Bottom is Ray Ortlund Jr. He’s a pastor, an author, a speaker, and a contributor to the ESV Study Bible. He serves as president of Renewal Ministries, which was founded by his late father. He is considered an expert on the book of Isaiah, which many consider to be the richest and most theologically significant book in the Old Testament. He has preached extensively on it and also authored a Preaching the Word commentary on Isaiah. Ortlund even uses Isaiah as the basis for this book!

Ortlund wrote his book Good News at Rock Bottom as an open letter to anyone who is feeling hurt and lost at rock bottom. His writing style is easy to read. He speaks like an old friend and says that he, too, was once stuck in that low place. He never says exactly what brought him to that point, but it’s clear that he can empathize with the readers who find themselves there right now.

If you’ve fallen into a pit of despair – maybe you’re feeling betrayed, trapped, lonely, unwanted, struggling with depression, or suffering from something that’s deeply troubling you – you too may be wondering where God can be found, or if He even cares. Amazingly, God anticipates our every need and He’s always there for us.

Isaiah 57:15 states: “For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.’” (Contrite = feeling crushed, devastated, beaten down. Lowly = feeling humiliated, demoted, diminished in worth.)

So, according to Isaiah, God can easily be found in two places. He lives on high in the holy place up above, where the righteous go for eternity. He also lives down low at rock bottom, among the lowly and the contrite, the sick, the sinners, the persecuted, the broken-hearted, the grief-stricken. We can’t visit the bright lofty heights of heaven while we’re still alive, but we can meet God in the deep dark depths of despair, where He is reviving His broken people and giving them hope.

Notice how God is way up high and way down low, but He’s not readily available in the “mushy middle.” Even though God is everywhere, it’s harder to find Him and concentrate on His Word in the mainstream monotony of daily life, because that’s where we’re too preoccupied with mundane things. Ortlund says “it’s easy to go to church in the mushy middle, but it’s hard to be awestruck by God there” (p. 18). Isn’t that the truth!

It reminds me of Revelation 3:16 – “So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.” God does not want us to be lukewarm or half-hearted in our spiritual journey. He wants us to be whole-hearted and passionate about our faith. No one is more passionate for God than someone who was personally saved by Him!

Focusing on the words of Isaiah 57:15, Ortlund explains that God is right there with us when we find ourselves experiencing the pain of betrayal, the shame of sin, the isolation of loneliness, or the shadow of death. This book didn’t hit me over the head with a major epiphany, but the light did slowly dawn on me and I do feel better for reading it. Good News at Rock Bottom is definitely worth reading again, and I’ve already begun re-reading it to make sure the lessons stick with me.

Do you feel like you’ve hit rock bottom? Click here to buy this book on Amazon. I hope it will help you feel better!