What to Do When You Are Hanging on by a Thread

Have you ever felt like you are hanging on by a thread? I certainly have. I remember in the months after my 21-year-old son passed away how fragile I felt. I almost had to remember to breathe in and out to survive. I took three weeks off work and spent that time at home with my husband and daughter. 

The moments alternated between shock, horror, sorrow, regret, guilt, and shame. Even though I didn't always feel like it, I cried out to God and poured out my muddied emotions to him. He met me there, in the middle of my miry pit. He comforted, strengthened, and soothed me, bound my broken heart, and steadily led me, day by day, into a place of peace and, miraculously, even joy.  

If you are in a situation where you feel like you are hanging on by a thread, I want to encourage you with this truth: God will place his hand over yours and tighten your grip. He will strengthen you and help you. He has not abandoned you. 

Listen to this passage in Psalm 46:1-3 (NIV): 

1 . God is our refuge and strength,

     an ever-present help in trouble.

 2. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way

     and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

 3. Though its waters roar and foam

     and the mountains quake with their surging. 

Looking back over critical times when I felt like I was just barely hanging on, I now see some specific strategies God gave me to strengthen me. 

I pray these will help you, too.

Get Prayer Support

When I first got the news that my son had passed away, it was in the middle of the night. Within an hour, my husband, daughter, and I piled in our bed and held each other. We didn't want to call family and friends and wake them up because we knew there was nothing they could do. We decided to make those calls in the morning. 

While my husband and daughter dozed a little I lay in bed, awake, and totally stunned. My mind reeled with all the "what if…" scenarios. Questions of "How did this happen"?  "Why did this happen"?  “What do we do now"?  Rotated through my mind. The clock marched slowly on as if my life hadn’t just been devastated.

The following day started with us making heart-wrenching phone calls to our family and friends. Soon, the house filled as they sat with us, held us, cried with us, and brought us food. As the day wore on, I still had not slept a wink. I never took off my pajamas, and I don't even remember if I brushed my teeth. 

With the setting sun, my emotions reeled. I felt as if I was free-falling into the abyss.   

At that moment, I felt God nudge me to call our church's prayer group, which I was a member of. Since I was new to the group, I didn't know them very well, but I knew we needed prayer covering to get through this onslaught of emotions. After I reached out to them, word spread throughout our church, and the prayers started. Immediately, I felt God steadying my reeling mind and soothing me.

The only way I can describe the ensuing months is to say that we felt held up by the prayers of others. I simply can't tell you how those prayers shifted the atmosphere in my heart, our home, our conversations, and our future. 

If you are going through a really rough time and feel like you are hanging on by a thread, I encourage you to reach out to someone to pray for you. Don't shoulder this alone. Get prayer support. Whether it is someone at your church, a friend, or a ministry with a prayer hotline, don't travel this road alone. Reach out to someone. Ask God to send you people who can support you in prayer.

Keep God's Word Before Your Eyes and In Your Ears

Meditating on scriptures was another key that profoundly helped me when I felt I was hanging on by a thread. A dear friend, who had lost her husband tragically years earlier, brought me some 3x5 cards with scriptures written on them. We taped them up on windows, mirrors, and doors all over our home. They are still there nearly three years later. I would read them as I passed by the various locations where they were posted, and they renewed my mind to the truth of God's love, care, and concern for me despite walking through trials.  

I also prioritized hearing God's words. I listened constantly to interviews of people who had navigated loss, sermons, and podcasts that featured people who had walked through trials and come out on the other side victoriously. These all reminded me of the truth: that I was an overcomer, that this was not the end, and that God was comforting, holding me up, and bringing me through. I could sense that God was fighting my battles and that I was not alone.  

Rest and Be Strengthened

I took ample time, especially in the first few months after my son passed away, to spend time just resting in God's presence. I would put on soft instrumental praise music in a dark room and just "soak" in his presence. I kept a journal, flashlight, and tissue close by as I rested in God's presence. I recorded in my journal impressions I had, verses God laid on my heart, or things he spoke to me. God used those hours in his presence to deeply comfort my broken heart. I tangibly felt his presence and his whispers of love wash over me. I poured out my sorrow to him and knew that he caught every one of my tears in his bottle (see Psalm 56:8). I didn't hold back pouring out my true feelings to him.  

Psalms 34:18-19 New International Version (NIV) says,

"The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all."

In those moments, God reminded me that he truly is my waymaker, is deeply in love with me, catches my tears in a bottle, and redeems my sorrow and the years stolen by the enemy. As I soaked in his presence, I felt strengthened and could feel my heart healing. 

Yes, I cried buckets of tears and felt that my heart would burst inside my chest many times, but I knew God could handle my deepest, rawest, most awful emotions. Not only could he take them, but he also actively comforted me and soothed my aching heart.  

Guard Your Heart 

Lastly, I was cautious about what I put into my mind. When hanging on by a thread, you must guard your heart and mind by focusing on God's truth. This is not the time to watch the news for hours, listen to gossip, or watch fluff on TV. You have been attacked (or you wouldn't feel like you are hanging on by a thread). 

Ephesians 6:12 in the NIV says, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." 

Even though, at times, I wanted to just "veg out" and numb myself with Netflix or TV, I also knew that I was at war. My very life, my legacy, and my family were at stake. I didn't want to open my mind to meaningless drivel, or the strife frequently featured on the news. Instead, I fed my mind constantly on things that would build my faith and remind me of God's goodness despite what I was walking through.  

When you feel like you are hanging on by a thread, I encourage you to keep your eyes on Jesus. He is the only one who can heal your broken heart, make a way for you where it seems like there is no way, and guide you through the valley of the shadow of death. You are not alone and do not have to go through this alone. You have a creator who promises to walk with you and heal you. There may be things you will never have the answers to, but God will still be there for you as you lean on him and trust him to heal your broken places. As you implement God's strategies, he will heal your broken heart.  

I have created a download of some of the verses that strengthened me when I most needed strength. I pray they will bless you.