Devastated, but Not Destroyed

[Devastated, but Not Destroyed]( Current Teaching Series [How to Get Through What You're Going Through]( [Listen to Today's Broadcast]( [Devastated, but Not Destroyed]( By Rick Warren — 07/06/2023 [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email](mailto:?subject=I'd%20like%20to%20share%20a%20Daily%20Devotional%20from%20Pastor%20Rick%20with%20you&body= “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” Isaiah 43:2 (NLT) You’re going to go through tough times and experience major losses in life. Why? Because there is no growth without change; there is no change without loss; there is no loss without pain; and there is no pain without grief. For 27 years, I prayed every day that God would heal my son’s mental illness. Matthew lived a very tortured, painful life. We went to the best doctors in the nation and had the best medications. We had thousands of people praying. We have a strong, supportive family that is full of faith. And yet, my prayer for Matthew’s healing was never answered on Earth. I know he was healed the moment he entered God’s presence in heaven. But why not here? Why did he have to suffer so much? It just didn’t make sense. After Matthew died, I wrote in my journal, “I’d rather walk with God with none of my questions answered than walk through life without him and know all the answers.” Whenever you have a major loss, the tendency is to immediately look for a cause or a reason or an explanation: Why did he leave me? Why did I lose my job? Why did I get cancer? Why, why, why? When you’re in pain, explanations don’t help. You don’t need an explanation. You need God. You need his comfort and his presence. God says, “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you” (Isaiah 43:2 NLT). You may be devastated, but you will not be destroyed. The fire will not consume you, because God is with you in your pain and grief. If the person closest to you were to suddenly die tomorrow, knowing the reason why wouldn’t lessen the pain any bit. So stop looking for an explanation. You don’t need it! God has not promised an explanation for why everything happens in the world. But for everyone that follows Jesus, he has promised you’re not going to go through any of it on your own. [PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>]( Talk It Over - What questions have you continually asked God that have gone unanswered? After reading today’s devotional, what will you do with those questions? - How does God show you that he is close to you? - Think of the ways God has provided for you in the past when you have experienced loss and pain. How does God’s past provision help you believe that he will show you grace and be faithful in the future? The post [Devastated, but Not Destroyed]( appeared first on [Pastor Rick's Daily Hope](. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Email](mailto:?subject=I'd%20like%20to%20share%20a%20Daily%20Devotional%20from%20Pastor%20Rick%20with%20you&body= [Get the Journey Toward Hope Guided Experience when you give a gift to support Daily Hope!]( Life can be challenging, isolating, and painful. That’s why it’s critical to stay grounded in who God says you are—and the hope he alone can give. That’s also why Kay Warren created the Journey Toward Hope guided Bible study. In this beautiful, vegan leather book, you’ll find a wealth of resources to help you move toward hope throughout the ups and downs of life. In Journey Toward Hope, you’ll find: • Five truths that hope reveals about you • Quotes and life-giving Scripture • Space to journal • Stories of authentic hope • Guided prayers to encourage you [LEARN MORE]( [Complete Audio Series (Purchase)]( Includes 8 full-length messages from Pastor Rick's series How to Get Through What You're Going Through. [LEARN MORE]( [Series Summary]( Message 1: How We're Getting Through Message 2: When Your World Collapses Message 3: Getting Through Life's Losses Message 4: Struggle: When Life Makes No Sense Message 5: Surrender: The Path to Peace Message 6: Never Waste a Pain Message 7: Transformed by Trouble Message 8: Finding Treasure in Darkness by Kay Warren [PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST]( Pastor Rick Warren [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Linkedin]( Enjoy today's devotional? Listen to Pastor Rick’s daily audio teaching at [PastorRick.com]( Did someone forward this devotional to you? [Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional.]( Rick Warren is the founding pastor of [Saddleback Church]( one of America’s largest and most influential churches. Pastor Rick is the author of the New York Times bestseller [The Purpose Driven Life](. His book [The Purpose Driven Church]( was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. Pastor Rick created [The PEACE Plan]( to address the five global giants—spiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracy—through the power of ordinary people in the local church. His Daily Hope broadcast and daily devotionals are offered around the world. You can listen to the broadcast or sign up for the free devotionals at [PastorRick.com](. © 2023 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. You can unsubscribe by clicking the link below. Sent to: {EMAIL} [Unsubscribe]( Pastor Rick's Daily Hope, 23182 Arroyo Vista, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688, United States