When You're Hanging on by a Thread-- Hope in God's Saving Grace

There’s a kind of tired that sleep won’t fix.

The kind where you’re doing everything right, but your soul still sighs.

If that’s you right now, I want to wrap you up in a truth I’ve clung to through more seasons than I can count:

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” — Psalm 34:18

This verse wasn’t written from comfort.

David penned Psalm 34 while on the run from Saul. David was hiding in a cave after pretending to be insane just to survive (see 1 Samuel 21). He was tired, crushed, and holding on by a thread. And yet, in that cave of chaos, he said: God is near.

I get that kind of cave.

Almost 15 years ago, I lost my son, Jacob, to Pulmonary Hypertension. He was only four. Watching him grow weaker, then rally with life-saving medication (Flolan), and then having to say goodbye anyway—it broke something in me. His death eventually led to the end of my marriage, and there are still days when I can’t believe I’m breathing through the grief.

Layer on top of that the battle with autoimmune disease. It affects more than just the body. It hits work life, finances, sense of worth. I can’t always do the things I want to do. And that reality weighs on my husband, Mike, who carries so much—sometimes more than I realize. I know the toll it takes on him, especially in seasons when worry keeps him up at night.

We’ve also faced literal storms here in Pinellas County—Hurricanes Helene and Milton devastated our community and left so many of us feeling shaken and exposed.

But honestly? Sometimes the internal storms are even more destructive.

And yet… God is still near.

Not just in the rescue, but in the rubble. In the midst. In the storm.

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” — Psalm 46:1

“I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.” — Psalm 77:11

In Psalm 77, Asaph cries out, doubting if God even hears him anymore. But instead of staying in despair, he forces himself to shift his focus: “I will remember.”

When we can’t feel our faith, we can remember His faithfulness.

So if you're in a cave today, a storm, or a place where the pain feels louder than the promises—hear me:

The Lord is close.

He saves.

He rescues.

Even when the rescue doesn’t look how you imagined.

Sometimes deliverance is the miracle.

But more often, deliverance is the grace to take one more breath, say one more prayer, or hold on for one more day.

Either way, hope in Him is never wasted.

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