Helpless Isn’t Hopeless with God - Daily Hope with Rick Warren - September 21, 2025

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Helpless Isn’t Hopeless with God
By Rick Warren

“We are helpless in the face of this large army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but we look to you for help.” 2 Chronicles 20:12 (GNT)

Breakthrough prayers are different from other prayers.

You likely often pray and ask God for his strength or wisdom to help you accomplish something. And there’s nothing wrong with those prayers! 

But in a breakthrough prayer, you say, “God, I’m helpless. I can't possibly do this. It's beyond my ability. I need you to make it happen.” It's the prayer you pray when you feel powerless.

After King Jehoshaphat turned his focus to God, he said, “We are helpless in the face of this large army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but we look to you for help” (2 Chronicles 20:12 GNT).

You should do the same thing when you're praying for a breakthrough in your life. First, tell God exactly how you feel. Do you feel powerless, like you’ve been battling something constantly without any change? Tell God about it! Tell him it feels hopeless and admit your weakness.

You don't have to be powerful if you’re connected to God—because he's all powerful. You don’t have to know everything if you’re connected to God—because he's all knowing. You don't have to be in every place if you’re connected to God—because he is everywhere.

What should you do when you're in a situation that you can’t control, change, or manage? You should wait and trust in all the things you know to be true about God.

Like King Jehoshaphat, sometimes faith means doing nothing. You just stand still, wait, and trust. If you try to do something about it, it puts control back in your court.

Here’s what faith looked like in 2 Chronicles: “All the men of Judah, with their wives and children, were standing there at the Temple” (2 Chronicles 20:13 GNT). They might have stood before the Lord for hours. We don’t know how long they stood, but by simply standing, they were saying to God that what they were facing was too big for them. They were at the end of their rope, but they kept hanging on, because they trusted God to provide.

When you’re in need of a breakthrough, follow their example. Wait, watch, and trust.

PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick

Rick Warren is an innovative pastor, renowned author, and global influencer known for founding Saddleback Church, the Purpose Driven Network, the PEACE Plan, and Hope for Mental Health. He has written several best-selling books, including The Purpose Driven Life, which has sold over 35 million copies in 200 languages. Time magazine named Warren the most influential spiritual leader in America and one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Since stepping down from the lead pastor role at Saddleback in 2022, Warren has continued to inspire people through his Daily Hope Devotional and podcast Pastor Rick’s Daily Hope. His first book in a decade, Created to Dream, was released in April 2023.

For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!

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This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

You can listen to Rick Warren on OnePlace.com.