Ryan's Ramblings

His Address Is Grace

God’s address is at the end of your rope. —Dallas Willard

Some time ago, I was diagnosed with a rare, deadly disease—one that only five in a million people get. It was a tumor called an insulinoma, hidden deep in my pancreas. And it was killing me. For six long months, I went from doctor to doctor with no answers. My symptoms worsened, and my strength faded. I was scared, frustrated, and desperate—clinging to Jesus. I was in a tight spot. But while I was there, something deeper was happening.

King David once prayed,

“O God of my righteousness: Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress.” (Psalm 4:1, KJV)

King David was in a tight space—and God met him with wide grace. Not just by providing escape, but by expanding his heart. God made room—for trust to deepen, for love to grow, and for David to glimpse the height, depth, width, and length of His presence. Like David, I found that when the Lord steps into our distress, freedom and hope follow—even in the tightest places.

I ended up making three trips to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. Through the skill of the medical team—and by the grace of God—the tumor was found and removed. I was healed. But even more miraculous than the healing… I was changed. Not just in body—but in soul.

Dallas Willard once said, “God’s address is at the end of your rope.” Some have suggested that if that truth had a website, it might be called: http://www.attheendofyourrope.com. It’s not a real URL, of course—but the metaphor holds. It’s where striving ends… and grace begins. And I was unquestionably there—at the end of my rope. I had nothing left but God… and the faithful prayers of my friends, family, and church.

Not only was I in a tight place—but I felt completely alone. A bit like Jonah. Trapped in the belly of a whale. Isolated. Powerless. Waiting. And it was there, in that dark, hidden place, that prayer and faith became real. To tie in with the earlier URL reference, here’s a fitting hashtag for my Instagram friends: #inthebellyofawhale. It’s where faith is born—and where prayer gets honest.

Eugene Peterson once noted that in parts of Eastern Europe, some pulpits were built in the shape of a whale. To preach, the pastor had to ascend through the belly and speak from the mouth. It wasn’t just a clever design. It was a deep conviction: something happens in a tight place that can’t happen anywhere else. The belly of the whale is a place of reckoning and surrender. It’s where dead hearts find clarity—and new life begins.

The journey you’re in now? That rope? The belly? They’re not detours. They’re not too much for God. And they’re not signs He’s forgotten you. They’re the very places of transformation—the places where grace finds us.

Here’s the invitation Jesus offers to anyone in that place:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened…” (Matthew 11:28, NIV)

So whether you’re barely hanging on at http://www.attheendofyourrope.com, or gasping for breath at #inthebellyofawhale… remember: you’re not lost. You’re not alone. Jesus is already there. Look to Him.

His address… is grace.