Can God Use Difficult Circumstances for Good?
Have you ever wondered if God can use difficult circumstances for good? Can the hard things we face in life have purpose and greater meaning? These are big questions! Fortunately, the Bible has a lot to say about this. I’m excited to share a few verses to get you thinking…
Romans 8:28
One popular verse on this topic is Romans 8:28 which says, “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” (CSB) All things. Nothing is a surprise to God and nothing is outside of His domain.
It is also important to note that this verse doesn’t say that all things are good, only that God can redeem anything. Jail is not good. Addiction is not good. Struggling is not good. Difficult circumstances are not easy, but the Lord can use all of it.
James 1:2-3
James is an incredible book of the Bible! I highly encourage you to read it in it’s entirety if you haven’t recently. A beautiful passage in this book is James 1:2-3. “Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.”
Here we see evidence that there is purpose in the middle of pain. Growth can come from even the most difficult places.
2 Corinthians 4:17
“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” In the context of when Paul wrote this verse, his circumstances weren’t very “light” as we would probably define them. Paul had suffered. He’d been persecuted and later in this letter talks about his “thorn in the flesh.” Simply put, Paul’s troubles were pretty major by our standards. And yet, he kept his focus on glory, on what was eternal.
Want a real life example of someone going through something difficult but finding purpose in it?
Daniel was living in active addiction, and it took him going to jail for the first time to wake up and realize how desperate he was for help. He actually begged the judge to either leave him in jail or take him directly to a recovery home because he knew he couldn’t do it on his own. Watch to hear where he was and where he is today.
Do you have more questions about how God can use difficult circumstances? Time studying God’s Word is so important to also understanding the broader questions about life. A great place to start is my Coming to Life Bible Course which will walk you through the entire Bible to better understand God’s big story.
