There is no real advice in this phrase. However, the fact that it is used to describe a situation that is very difficult with no apparent solution, implies that it is a reality that all situations have to be reckoned with and therefore, when you are “between a rock and a hard place”, it is better to be honest than in denial of your circumstances. The most literal use of this phrase might be by bestselling author Aran Ralston with the title of his book, 127 Hours: Between a Rock and a Hard Place. Ralstan tells his story of being pinned by an 800 pound boulder against a canyon wall in Utah and chooses to cut off his arm in order to survive the ordeal. A similar phrase known to many is to be caught “between the devil and the deep blue sea.”

Isaiah 43:2-3a
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

The confidence God gives to the faithful is that we are protected in all situations; not just when things feel good. This confidence is meant to transform us. Transform us where our insecurities - and we all have many - no longer hold us hostage. Transform us to a place where we do not to cling, control or cover up who we really are. To live trusting in God being there whenever you feel “between a rock and a hard place” is not so much relief in the moment but rather being set to free to no longer anticipate such situations and live freely at all times! Generally, people who live in such freedom are inspiring, inviting and inimitable.