---
title: "Why Is God Letting Me Lose Everything?"
description: "Losing a job, a home, money or someone you love is not a sign God is punishing you. What Job, Jesus and Ruth show, where to ask for help tonight, and what to say to a friend."
url: "https://biblenudge.com/blog/why-is-god-letting-me-lose-everything"
lang: "en"
published: "2026-11-04"
modified: "2026-11-04"
author: "Cal Hewitt"
tags: ["losing everything","job","suffering","is god punishing me","romans 15:13","financial hardship"]
image: "https://biblenudge.com/og/blog-why-is-god-letting-me-lose-everything.jpg"
alternates:
  es: "https://biblenudge.com/es/blog/por-que-dios-permite-que-lo-pierda-todo.md"
---

# Why Is God Letting Me Lose Everything?

[Cal Hewitt](https://biblenudge.com/about/cal-hewitt)Published November 4, 2026

- losing everything
- job
- suffering
- is god punishing me
- romans 15:13
- financial hardship

![Why Is God Letting Me Lose Everything?](https://biblenudge.com/blog/why-is-god-letting-me-lose-everything/featured.jpg)

Losing a job, a home, your savings or someone you love is not a sign that God is punishing you or has stopped caring, and nobody can read God's attitude toward you off what you have lost. The Bible's longest book about loss, Job, closes with God telling the friends who explained Job's suffering as punishment that they had not spoken rightly of him (Job 42:7). Jesus, asked about people killed by Pilate and by a falling tower, turns down the idea that they were worse sinners than anyone else (Luke 13:1-5).

That holds whether you are a believer, a former believer or somebody with no settled faith who is reading anyway.

If you are asking "why?", the Association of Professional Chaplains, in its [2022 guidance on coping with disaster](https://www.apchaplains.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/guidelines_coping_disaster_mass_casualty.pdf), says, "Realize that asking ‘why?’ is a normal part of healing."

If losing everything has brought thoughts of ending your life, please reach a person tonight. In the United States, call [988](tel:988), text [988](sms:988) or [chat](https://988lifeline.org/chat/) with the [988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline](https://988lifeline.org/), with help in Spanish at [988 en español](https://988lifeline.org/es/obten-ayuda/). In Canada, call [9-8-8](tel:988) or text [9-8-8](sms:988) through the [Government of Canada's suicide prevention page](https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/suicide-prevention/government-canada-doing-help-prevent-suicide.html). In the United Kingdom and Ireland, [Samaritans](https://www.samaritans.org/) is on [116 123](tel:116123). In Australia, [Lifeline](https://www.lifeline.org.au/get-help/national-services/lifeline-crisis-support) is on [13 11 14](tel:131114). Everywhere else, [Find A Helpline](https://findahelpline.com/) lists services by country.

## If you only have a minute

### The short answer

Loss is not proof of punishment. Job 42:7 and Luke 13:1-5 both say so.

### Tonight, if you need it

One call or one form to one service for your country, in the table below.

### If you want words to pray

[Romans 15:13](https://biblenudge.com/context/romans-15-13), a prayer that hope would be given to you rather than made by you.

### If you are helping someone

Try "You don't have to make sense of it tonight."

### If the nights are dark

The crisis lines above are for your country.

## Where to ask for help first

You may need a place to sleep and a way to pay a bill before anything else, so the practical routes come first. Each service below is described by what it says it does. Eligibility, amounts and deadlines are set by the office itself, so ask them directly. None of this is advice; it is where to ask.

Where to ask, by country

Hover or tap a row to highlight it. Sort by a column heading; a third click puts the rows back in their original order.

|  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| United States | [USA.gov unemployment benefits](https://www.usa.gov/unemployment-benefits) points to each state's unemployment insurance program. [CareerOneStop](https://www.careeronestop.org/) covers job search, training and local American Job Centers. | [211](https://www.211.org/) for local housing and emergency help. [HUD-approved housing counselors](https://www.hud.gov/counseling). Civil legal aid through [LawHelp](https://www.lawhelp.org/) and the [Legal Services Corporation's finder](https://www.lsc.gov/about-lsc/what-legal-aid/get-legal-help). |
| United Kingdom | [Universal Credit](https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit) is support with living costs, with Jobcentre Plus work coaches. [Find a job](https://findajob.dwp.gov.uk/). | [Shelter](https://www.shelter.org.uk/) and [Citizens Advice on housing](https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/housing/). |
| Canada | [Employment Insurance](https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei.html) on Canada.ca. [Job Bank](https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/). | [211 Canada](https://211.ca/), plus the tenant service for your province. |
| Australia | [JobSeeker Payment](https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/jobseeker-payment), for people of working age looking for work or temporarily unable to work or study because of sickness or injury. [Workforce Australia](https://www.workforceaustralia.gov.au/). | The tenancy service for your state or territory, starting from the [Australian Government's housing page](https://www.housing.gov.au/). |
| Spain | [SEPE](https://www.sepe.es/) | The servicios sociales of your municipality. |
| Mexico | [Servicio Nacional de Empleo](https://www.gob.mx/empleo) | [Cáritas Mexicana](https://caritasmexicana.org/) |
| Argentina | [ANSES](https://www.anses.gob.ar/) | [Cáritas Argentina](https://caritas.org.ar/) |
| Colombia | [Servicio Público de Empleo](https://www.serviciodeempleo.gov.co/) | Your local Cáritas, through the diocese. |

CountryUnited States

Work and income[USA.gov unemployment benefits](https://www.usa.gov/unemployment-benefits) points to each state's unemployment insurance program. [CareerOneStop](https://www.careeronestop.org/) covers job search, training and local American Job Centers.

Housing and local help[211](https://www.211.org/) for local housing and emergency help. [HUD-approved housing counselors](https://www.hud.gov/counseling). Civil legal aid through [LawHelp](https://www.lawhelp.org/) and the [Legal Services Corporation's finder](https://www.lsc.gov/about-lsc/what-legal-aid/get-legal-help).

CountryUnited Kingdom

Work and income[Universal Credit](https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit) is support with living costs, with Jobcentre Plus work coaches. [Find a job](https://findajob.dwp.gov.uk/).

Housing and local help[Shelter](https://www.shelter.org.uk/) and [Citizens Advice on housing](https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/housing/).

CountryCanada

Work and income[Employment Insurance](https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei.html) on Canada.ca. [Job Bank](https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/).

Housing and local help[211 Canada](https://211.ca/), plus the tenant service for your province.

CountryAustralia

Work and income[JobSeeker Payment](https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/jobseeker-payment), for people of working age looking for work or temporarily unable to work or study because of sickness or injury. [Workforce Australia](https://www.workforceaustralia.gov.au/).

Housing and local helpThe tenancy service for your state or territory, starting from the [Australian Government's housing page](https://www.housing.gov.au/).

CountrySpain

Work and income[SEPE](https://www.sepe.es/)

Housing and local helpThe servicios sociales of your municipality.

CountryMexico

Work and income[Servicio Nacional de Empleo](https://www.gob.mx/empleo)

Housing and local help[Cáritas Mexicana](https://caritasmexicana.org/)

CountryArgentina

Work and income[ANSES](https://www.anses.gob.ar/)

Housing and local help[Cáritas Argentina](https://caritas.org.ar/)

CountryColombia

Work and income[Servicio Público de Empleo](https://www.serviciodeempleo.gov.co/)

Housing and local helpYour local Cáritas, through the diocese.

For emergency help that varies by country and branch, there is the [Salvation Army](https://www.salvationarmy.org/). In the United States there are also [Catholic Charities USA](https://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/) and the [Society of St. Vincent de Paul](https://ssvpusa.org/).

For debt, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has [debt-collection pages](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/debt-collection/). The US Federal Trade Commission [warns about debt-relief companies](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/debt-relief-and-credit-repair-scams) that charge fees, make promises about reducing debt or tell people to stop talking to creditors. In the United Kingdom, the Financial Conduct Authority says to [check that a firm is authorized](https://www.fca.org.uk/consumers/debt-advice) before using a debt-management service. Free debt help by country is listed in [Bible verses for financial hardship](https://biblenudge.com/blog/bible-verses-for-financial-hardship), and [when money worry and job fear keep you awake](https://biblenudge.com/blog/when-money-worry-and-job-fear-keep-you-awake) lists more.

Here is a small idea of our own: tonight, make one call or fill in one form, to one service in the table for your country. That is enough for one night.

![An empty rented room with a bare mattress against the wall beside a window](https://biblenudge.com/blog/why-is-god-letting-me-lose-everything/the-empty-room.jpg)

*Some nights the next step is one phone call in the morning.*

## Is God punishing me?

No passage in the Bible measures the cause of a particular job loss, eviction, debt, illness or death. That covers the worries that travel with this question: whether God punishes with loss or illness, why everything keeps going wrong, and why good people suffer.

In John 9:1-3, the disciples ask whose sin caused a man's blindness, his own or his parents', and Jesus sets aside both explanations.

> 1 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “Neither did this man sin, nor his parents; but, that the works of God might be revealed in him.

[What the Bible says about suffering](https://biblenudge.com/blog/what-does-the-bible-say-about-suffering) reads that scene, and [Bible verses for sudden death](https://biblenudge.com/blog/bible-verses-for-sudden-death) reads Luke 13:1-5. In Luke, Jesus names two events, Galileans killed by Pilate and eighteen people killed when a tower fell, and rejects the idea that they were worse sinners than others.

> 1 Now there were some present at the same time who told him about the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered such things? 3 I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all perish in the same way. 4 Or those eighteen, on whom the tower in Siloam fell, and killed them; do you think that they were worse offenders than all the men who dwell in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no, but, unless you repent, you will all perish in the same way.”

Three other passages are often handed to people in your position, and each reads differently in its setting. Hebrews 12:5-11 speaks of discipline in the language of a father training his children. It was written to the Christian community that Hebrews addresses, and many Christian traditions read it as discipline for believers, while others caution against treating every painful event as discipline. That difference stands.

Deuteronomy 28:1-2 and 28:15 set out blessings and curses within the covenant, spoken to Israel as a nation. And in Job 4:7-9, Eliphaz argues that the innocent do not perish and that people reap the trouble they sow. The book goes on to reject the friends' account.

What this gives you is company in a hard fact. The Bible keeps its difficult verses in their settings, and it records more than once a refusal to read a person's suffering as their guilt. If you want the question of testing, [Bible verses for trials](https://biblenudge.com/blog/bible-verses-for-trials) has a section on "Is God testing me?"

## Why did God let Job suffer so much?

For many readers this is the question underneath the others, so these are Job's losses in the order the text gives them. In Job 1 he loses his oxen and donkeys, then his sheep, then his camels, with servants killed at each stage. Then his sons and daughters die. In Job 2 his health goes.

After the deaths of his children, Job says:

"Yahweh gave, and Yahweh has taken away. Blessed be Yahweh’s name."

His wife's words in Job 2:9 are:

"Do you still maintain your integrity? Renounce God, and die."

Job answers in 2:10:

"Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?"

Then three friends arrive and sit with him in silence for seven days and seven nights, because they see how great his suffering is. [What the Bible says about suffering](https://biblenudge.com/blog/what-does-the-bible-say-about-suffering) reads that week in full. On the adversary in the opening scene, Christian readers commonly take him as an accuser within the story rather than as a sign that every personal loss is an attack, and [Why does God allow suffering](https://biblenudge.com/blog/why-does-god-allow-suffering) covers the heavenly court.

Job 3 begins with a wish never to have lived. Job says:

"Let the day perish in which I was born."

If those words are yours tonight, reach a person: the [988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline](https://988lifeline.org/) in the United States, or the lines for Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Australia in the opening of this page.

Then the ending. In Job 42:7, after the speeches, God turns to the friends who had argued that Job's losses were deserved.

> It was so, that after Yahweh had spoken these words to Job, Yahweh said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against you, and against your two friends; for you have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job has.

The chapter goes on to record Job's fortunes restored, ten more children, a long life and his death "full of days" (Job 42:17). Jewish and Christian readers differ over whether the ending is a theological resolution, a literary reversal, a statement about blessing or a later frame around a wisdom poem. The text says nothing that makes the children who died matter less. Even the rabbis disagree about the man himself: [Bava Batra 15a on Sefaria](https://www.sefaria.org/Bava_Batra.15a) records them arguing over whether Job lived or is a parable.

What this gives you is a man's honest words through total loss, kept in Scripture, with God's last word on the matter going against the friends who blamed him. Your own story stays your own.

## What does the Bible say when you lose everything?

Scripture keeps many people who lost a great deal, and the text records different endings for them.

Naomi, in Ruth 1, loses her husband and both sons in a foreign land, comes home to Bethlehem and says she has been brought back empty. In Ruth 4:13-17 she holds a grandson. [Is it a sin to be angry with God](https://biblenudge.com/blog/is-it-a-sin-to-be-angry-with-god) tells the bitterness of her homecoming.

Joseph is betrayed by his brothers, sold, falsely accused and imprisoned before he rises (Genesis 37, 39). In Genesis 50:20 he tells his brothers how he reads what they did to him. It is spoken to them, in that story, and it is not a general statement about every loss. [Bible verses for losing a job](https://biblenudge.com/blog/bible-verses-for-losing-a-job) reads Joseph waiting.

Others lose and nothing is recorded as returning. Paul writes from prison that he knows both need and plenty (Philippians 4:10-13), and the letter records no release. In Lamentations 3:1-24 the speaker describes affliction and grief and then remembered mercy, with the city still in ruins. And Jesus says the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head (Matthew 8:20).

> Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

The set shows two things. Scripture keeps people whose losses were reversed, Ruth and Joseph, and it keeps people who lived faithfully with nothing recorded as restored, Paul in prison, the writer in the ruined city, and Jesus with nowhere to sleep. What that gives you is company in either case, and no forecast for your own life.

![A bare wooden shelf beside a window with a single folded towel on it](https://biblenudge.com/blog/why-is-god-letting-me-lose-everything/the-bare-shelf.jpg)

*Rooms change when the things in them go.*

## What does God do when you're crying?

Along with it come two more questions: what God says to someone in pain, and what God feels watching us suffer. The Bible does not give a single scene that answers all three. What it does give is a prayer for people with no hope left in them, and a short one.

The passage Bible Nudge offers for hope is [Romans 15:13](https://biblenudge.com/context/romans-15-13). Paul closes a call to a patient, welcoming community with a prayer that hope, joy and peace would overflow:

> Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Its note on this site is "Hope received, not forced": Paul describes hope as something God can grow in a person, even when they cannot make it themselves. It is a prayer asked as a gift, so if you have none left, nothing is asked of you. Read it once tonight as a prayer, and hold one question: "Where do you most need hope to be given rather than generated?" [Bible verses for losing a job](https://biblenudge.com/blog/bible-verses-for-losing-a-job) and [Why does God allow suffering](https://biblenudge.com/blog/why-does-god-allow-suffering) both read the verse at more length.

## Why do chosen ones suffer so much, and what are the signs God is testing you?

People also ask for the four reasons for suffering, the four painful things God uses to lead us to him, and the signs of testing. Christian organizations and writers answer these in their own ways. Here they are side by side, ranked by none and applied to no one.

The [Billy Graham Evangelistic Association](https://billygraham.org/) frames suffering through a fallen world, human sin, testing, God's presence and an eventual purpose. [Desiring God](https://www.desiringgod.org/), a Reformed Baptist ministry, speaks of God's sovereignty, discipline, sanctification, testing and dependence on Christ. The [C. S. Lewis Institute](https://www.cslewisinstitute.org/) speaks of formation, dependence, the limits of human understanding and suffering that exposes false securities. [Seton Magazine](https://www.setonmagazine.com/), a Catholic publication, speaks of providence, sharing in Christ's suffering, spiritual growth and trust.

Traditions and writers add their own voices:

Voices on suffering, side by side

Hover or tap a row to highlight it. Sort by a column heading; a third click puts the rows back in their original order.

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| [Catholic Catechism, 2544-2547](https://www.vatican.va/content/catechism/en/part_three/section_two/chapter_two/article_10/iii_poverty_of_heart.html) | On poverty of heart: believers should "direct their affections rightly," and abandonment to the Father's providence frees people from anxiety about tomorrow. |
| [Orthodox Church in America](https://www.oca.org/fs/sermons/the-paschal-sermon) | Recalls John Chrysostom, dying in exile in 407, saying "Glory to God for everything!" |
| [Heidelberg Catechism, questions 26 to 28](https://www.heidelberg-catechism.com/en/topics/providence.html) | God "upholds and governs" all things, and providence gives patience, gratitude and confidence. |
| [Nicholas Wolterstorff, \*Lament for a Son\*](https://www.eerdmans.com/9780802828805/laments-for-a-son/) (Eerdmans, 1987) | Written after his son's death; centered on lament, love and memory rather than a reason. |
| [Tim Keller, \*Walking with God through Pain and Suffering\*](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/215481/walking-with-god-through-pain-and-suffering-by-timothy-keller/) (Dutton, 2013) | Draws on the cross, resurrection, prayer and community. |
| [Kate Bowler, \*Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I've Loved\*](https://www.randomhousebooks.com/books/555909/) (Random House, 2018) | Written after her cancer diagnosis; questions that slogan and writes toward honesty, presence and lament. |
| [Viktor Frankl, \*Man's Search for Meaning\*](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/5386/mans-search-for-meaning-by-viktor-e-frankl/) (1946) | From the Nazi camps; finding meaning amid suffering without explaining it away. |

Voice[Catholic Catechism, 2544-2547](https://www.vatican.va/content/catechism/en/part_three/section_two/chapter_two/article_10/iii_poverty_of_heart.html)

What it says about lossOn poverty of heart: believers should "direct their affections rightly," and abandonment to the Father's providence frees people from anxiety about tomorrow.

Voice[Orthodox Church in America](https://www.oca.org/fs/sermons/the-paschal-sermon)

What it says about lossRecalls John Chrysostom, dying in exile in 407, saying "Glory to God for everything!"

Voice[Heidelberg Catechism, questions 26 to 28](https://www.heidelberg-catechism.com/en/topics/providence.html)

What it says about lossGod "upholds and governs" all things, and providence gives patience, gratitude and confidence.

Voice[Nicholas Wolterstorff, \*Lament for a Son\*](https://www.eerdmans.com/9780802828805/laments-for-a-son/) (Eerdmans, 1987)

What it says about lossWritten after his son's death; centered on lament, love and memory rather than a reason.

Voice[Tim Keller, \*Walking with God through Pain and Suffering\*](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/215481/walking-with-god-through-pain-and-suffering-by-timothy-keller/) (Dutton, 2013)

What it says about lossDraws on the cross, resurrection, prayer and community.

Voice[Kate Bowler, \*Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I've Loved\*](https://www.randomhousebooks.com/books/555909/) (Random House, 2018)

What it says about lossWritten after her cancer diagnosis; questions that slogan and writes toward honesty, presence and lament.

Voice[Viktor Frankl, \*Man's Search for Meaning\*](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/5386/mans-search-for-meaning-by-viktor-e-frankl/) (1946)

What it says about lossFrom the Nazi camps; finding meaning amid suffering without explaining it away.

These voices disagree about whether suffering has a purpose anybody can find, and that disagreement is allowed to stand.

## What about the verses people send you?

Friends who mean well often send three passages. Each reads best in its own setting, which is a different thing from a promise about this week.

Jeremiah 29:1-14 is a letter to Judean exiles in Babylon, telling them to build, plant, marry and seek the city's welfare, with verse 11 inside it. Offered as a personal guarantee, verse 11 makes a promise nobody can keep for one reader, which is why this site set it aside as a first passage. [Waiting on God's timing](https://biblenudge.com/blog/waiting-on-gods-timing) reads its seventy years.

[Romans 8:28](https://biblenudge.com/context/romans-8-28)\-39 sits in Paul's passage on suffering, groaning and the Spirit's intercession. The Greek phrase includes *panta synergei*, and commentators render it either as God working all things together for good or as all things working together for good for those who love God. Its subject is God's work for people in the middle of groaning, and the loss itself is left unnamed as good.

1 John 5:14-15 is about confidence in asking according to God's will, which commentators generally read as confidence bounded by that will. Many readers ask about it, and it reads as an invitation to ask, whatever comes of the asking.

## What does so much loss at once do to a person?

If several things have fallen apart together, the following figures are company, each an association from a particular group and not a forecast for you.

The American Psychological Association's [Stress in America 2026](https://www.apa.org/pubs/reports/stress-in-america/2026), published 22 October 2026, surveyed US adults through The Harris Poll. It reported that 77 percent named the cost of living as a significant stressor, 47 percent had withdrawn from at least one form of social participation, and 26 percent had put future plans on hold. It describes US adults in general, not people who lost a job, a home and a loved one in the same season.

A [2025 systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12505101/) reported a consistent small-to-moderate rise in mental-health problems with unemployment and a comparable fall after re-employment. A [2018 systematic review](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/hsc.12619) of 10 studies from the United States, Canada, Amsterdam and Britain associated the threat of losing a home with poorer physical health, depression and anxiety. The NHS says that [financial worries can affect mental health](https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/advice-for-life-situations-and-events/how-to-cope-with-financial-worries/).

If you feel heavier than you expected, that may be what this much change does to people. Talk to a doctor or a counselor if it lingers.

## What lands badly, and what to say instead

People who lose a lot often hear lines like these, and many who love them have said one while reaching for something to say. Here is each line with a better one beside it, in our own words:

Lines people hear, and a better line

Hover or tap a row to highlight it. Sort by a column heading; a third click puts the rows back in their original order.

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| "God is testing you." | "I don't know why this is happening to you, and I don't think you caused it." |
| "Everything happens for a reason." | "You don't have to make sense of it tonight." |
| "God never gives you more than you can handle." | "What is the most urgent thing this week, and can I help with that one?" |
| "God is teaching you." | "Can I sit with you while you call the housing line?" |
| "You must have sinned." | "Losing this does not make you a worse person, and I am not going anywhere." |
| "If you give, it will be restored." | "You don't have to give anything away to be heard by God, or by me." |
| Job's restoration, [Jeremiah 29:11](https://biblenudge.com/context/jeremiah-29-11) or [Romans 8:28](https://biblenudge.com/context/romans-8-28) sent as a forecast. | "I can't tell you how this ends, but I can bring dinner on Thursday." |

What people say"God is testing you."

A better line, in our words"I don't know why this is happening to you, and I don't think you caused it."

What people say"Everything happens for a reason."

A better line, in our words"You don't have to make sense of it tonight."

What people say"God never gives you more than you can handle."

A better line, in our words"What is the most urgent thing this week, and can I help with that one?"

What people say"God is teaching you."

A better line, in our words"Can I sit with you while you call the housing line?"

What people say"You must have sinned."

A better line, in our words"Losing this does not make you a worse person, and I am not going anywhere."

What people say"If you give, it will be restored."

A better line, in our words"You don't have to give anything away to be heard by God, or by me."

What people sayJob's restoration, [Jeremiah 29:11](https://biblenudge.com/context/jeremiah-29-11) or [Romans 8:28](https://biblenudge.com/context/romans-8-28) sent as a forecast.

A better line, in our words"I can't tell you how this ends, but I can bring dinner on Thursday."

Kate Bowler's book, listed above, questions the first of these lines. The chaplains' guidance treats [asking "why?"](https://www.apchaplains.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/guidelines_coping_disaster_mass_casualty.pdf) as a normal question that need not be answered with an explanation.

![Green shoots coming up through gray ash and blackened ground beside a fence, in plain overcast daylight, the shoots clearly visible](https://biblenudge.com/blog/why-is-god-letting-me-lose-everything/green-shoots.jpg)

*The hours after a bad day are long ones.*

## Questions people ask

### Can I be angry at God about this?

Anger is part of the record. Job curses the day he was born, and the book keeps his words. [Is it a sin to be angry with God](https://biblenudge.com/blog/is-it-a-sin-to-be-angry-with-god) reads how Scripture holds that.

### What if I cannot pray right now?

Romans 15:13 is written as Paul's prayer for other people, so you can read it as it stands and let it do the praying. Nothing needs to be generated by you for it to be said.

### Can I ask a chaplain for help if I do not belong to a church?

Yes. The [Association of Professional Chaplains](https://www.apchaplains.org/) says chaplaincy serves people across faiths. A hospital can put you in touch with one, and a pastor or a priest is also a person you may ask.

## Where to go next

If the nights ahead feel too heavy, reach a person. In the United States, call [988](tel:988), text [988](sms:988) or [chat](https://988lifeline.org/chat/) with the [988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline](https://988lifeline.org/), with Spanish at [988 en español](https://988lifeline.org/es/obten-ayuda/). In Canada, call [9-8-8](tel:988) or text [9-8-8](sms:988) through the [Government of Canada's page](https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/suicide-prevention/government-canada-doing-help-prevent-suicide.html). In the United Kingdom and Ireland, [Samaritans](https://www.samaritans.org/) is on [116 123](tel:116123). In Australia, [Lifeline](https://www.lifeline.org.au/get-help/national-services/lifeline-crisis-support) is on [13 11 14](tel:131114). Everywhere else, [Find A Helpline](https://findahelpline.com/).

If the loss came with abuse, including somebody taking control of the money, these services are there: the [National Domestic Violence Hotline](https://www.thehotline.org/) in the United States, [Refuge](https://refuge.org.uk/) in the United Kingdom and [1800RESPECT](https://www.1800respect.org.au/) in Australia.

Tonight, make one call or fill in one form, to one service for your country from the table above. Then read Romans 15:13 once as a prayer. For a passage that fits another part of this, [Bible Nudge](https://biblenudge.com/) takes a line in your own words and returns one passage with the verses around it. [Find a passage](https://biblenudge.com/nudge).

## Words that come up here

Tap a term to see what it means.

**Yahweh.** The personal name of God in the Hebrew Bible, printed where many translations have "the LORD".

**Covenant.** An agreement between God and a people, which Deuteronomy 28 sets out with blessings and curses for Israel.

**Providence.** The belief that God cares for and governs events, which Christian traditions describe in different ways.

**Panta synergei.** Greek words in [Romans 8:28](https://biblenudge.com/context/romans-8-28), translated "all things work together," with differing views on who the subject is.

**Chaplain.** A trained spiritual care worker, often in a hospital, who serves people across faiths.

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