Michael Jr - How God Uses Our Hurts and Failures

Romans 8:28 has been a long-standing favorite of mine and of many other Christ followers: “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”


Romans 8-28

When bad stuff happens to us, or when life takes an unexpected (and sometimes unwelcome) turn, we recall this verse and find solace in knowing that God—who loves us more than words can say—is in control of our circumstances and able to turn our personal pain into something good. But let’s not stop there. Let’s go deeper in our understanding of what that looks like by combining Romans 8:28 with the verse immediately following:

“For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn, with many brothers and sisters.”

Suffering and pain are a part of life, and, because they hurt, our natural tendency is to avoid or numb them. Even Jesus, when facing death for our sakes, prayed, “Father, if it be Your will, let this cup pass from Me.” And yet He surrendered His will to embrace God’s eternal purposes.

When we surrender ourselves into God’s hands and invite Him to fulfill His purposes in our lives through them, He uses them to shape us and mold us and make us more like Jesus. Our situation’s eventual outcome might never look like what we’d design, but our attitudes and actions will reflect Jesus Christ to a watching world. Others in pain will see a difference in us, and they’ll ask us to explain the reason for our hope.

READ MORE: https://tinyurl.com/how-god-uses-our-pain