This past week, life threw me a curveball. Anyone who has ever stood in a batter’s box knows the moment—the pitcher winds up, the ball comes flying straight toward you, and for an instant it appears it will strike you in the chest. Every natural instinct tells you to jump back and protect yourself. But an experienced hitter knows better. The secret is to stay planted, stay calm, and wait. Because when the ball finally breaks, the danger disappears, and you can meet it with full strength, steady feet, and a clear mind.
God reminded me that life often works the same way. Every person faces a curve at some point—unexpected news, pressure you did not see coming, betrayal that hurts, or loss that knocks the breath from your chest. These moments rush at you and appear overwhelming. Yet in the middle of that fear, God whispers, “Stand firm. Wait for the break. Trust Me.”
He reminds us that He has chosen us to know Him, to believe Him, and to understand that He alone is God. Nothing can overturn what He sets into motion. Nothing can snatch His children from His hand. But many people today place their trust in things that cannot steady them when life delivers a pitch that shakes their knees. When that moment comes, when your strength wavers and you feel yourself losing balance, you must turn to the One who holds you. That is what Jesus told Paul when he felt overwhelmed: “My grace is sufficient for you.”
So how does God’s grace work when the curveball does not break, when the pitch does not drop away but strikes with full force? This is where grace becomes more vivid and more real. God’s grace is not only the power that rescues; it is the strength that meets you at the point of impact. Paul begged God three times to remove the thorn that tormented him, and God chose not to remove it. Instead, He said, “My power is made perfect in weakness.” In other words, when the pitch refuses to move, God’s grace moves into you with a strength beyond your own.
Grace becomes the ground beneath your feet when everything else is shaking. Scripture says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Not after trouble. Not once everything settles. In trouble. Grace is not God stepping away when life hits hard. Grace is God stepping closer. It is not the absence of pain; it is the presence of God inside the pain.
And this grace does something remarkable. It enables you to stand when everything in you wants to collapse. It gives peace in moments when fear should be overwhelming. It produces courage you know did not come from you. This is why the Bible says, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those crushed in spirit.” Grace fills the places where your strength fails. It is the everlasting arms beneath you when the ground gives way.
When the curveball continues straight toward your heart, God reminds you that no pitch, no wound, and no season of suffering has the final word. He declares, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper.” And Jesus Himself promised, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart—I have overcome the world.”
So how does God’s grace work when the curveball does not break?
It works because God steps into the batter’s box with you.
He is not in the dugout.
He is not shouting directions from the sidelines.
He stands beside you, shoulder to shoulder, absorbing what you cannot bear, stabilizing what should collapse, and transforming what was meant to destroy you into something that will shape you for the better.
A wise man once said, “Grace does not promise that the storm will pass quickly. Grace promises that you will not face one second of it alone.”
That is the grace that holds you when the pitch never breaks.