Good News at Rock Bottom: Finding God When the Pain Goes Deep and Hope Seems Lost

FORTHCOMING TITLE, ETA JUNE 2025

Meeting the Man of Sorrows Where We Need Him Most

We all long for a life worth living. So when we receive news of a frightening diagnosis, suffer heartbreaking loss in our family life, or get trapped in a cycle of our own sin, we might wonder about God. Where is he when we need him most? With wisdom from Isaiah 57:15, Good News at Rock Bottom helps readers discover that Jesus is hard to find in the comfortable lives we prefer. Instead, he meets us at rock bottom—where he is waiting for us with open arms. 

With grace and empathy, author Ray Ortlund opens a door for readers to go deeper with God and get closer to faithful friends when life is hard to bear. You will discover that, at rock bottom, Jesus is more satisfying than any comfortable life without him.

• Empathetic: Author Ray Ortlund meets readers with honesty and helps them fall into the arms of Christ amid the painful seasons of life
• Appeals to Sufferers: Will resonate with anyone who has experienced betrayal, failure, loneliness, or wondered if God even cares
• Ideal for Individual or Small-Group Use: Questions at the end of each chapter spur discussion with friends and reflection in one’s own heart

160 pages

“I know pain, inside and out. I live intimately with its brutal assault, and at times it almost convinces me that all hope is lost. That’s when I reach out for the kind of rock-solid hope that is able to survive the worst of times. Honestly, it’s there. It’s available. And it’s meant for you. Ray Ortlund tenderly explains how to find and embrace it in his excellent book Good News at Rock Bottom. I love Ray’s style of writing—always accessible, believable, and gentle on the heart. The book you hold in your hands is extraordinary, and I envision that, by the last page, you will find the hope-filled release and relief you are yearning for.”
Joni Eareckson Tada, Founder and CEO, Joni and Friends International Disability Center

“Simeon had been waiting for the consolation of Israel, but what he found was Jesus (Luke 2:25), and that consolation from Christ soaks every page of this book. With understanding and tenderness, Ray Ortlund draws us back again and again to the all-sufficiency and matchless compassion of Christ. This is pastoral theology at its best—real, biblical, and deeply comforting.”
Sam Allberry, Associate Pastor, Immanuel Nashville; author, One with My Lord