Can God Use My Pain for Good?

Yes. God didn't cause your pain, but He will use it. God can redeem your past and give your pain purpose.

We all have picked up baggage over the years from hurts and relationships. Maybe someone betrayed you, mocked your dreams or walked out on you. If you're wondering whether anything good could ever come from what you've been through, look at Joseph.

What the Bible says

1. Those closest to us can hurt us the most. Joseph's brothers hated him because their father loved him more (Genesis 37:4). When he told them about his dreams, they hated him even more. Then they said, "Here comes the dreamer! Come on, let's kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns… Then we'll see what becomes of his dreams!" (Genesis 37:19–20 NLT). They sold him as a slave instead. Have you ever had someone hate on your dreams? This pain becomes baggage we carry the rest of our lives.

2. Don't let your issues become your identity. Joseph went from favorite son to slave, from head slave to prisoner, from head prisoner to forgotten for two years. He could have become a wounded, rejected person who had given up on his dreams. But what God says about you is more important than what they did to you. "For I know the plans I have for you… They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope" (Jeremiah 29:11 NLT). You are not what happened to you.

3. Where you are is not where you'll always be. No matter what happened, Joseph worked hard and trusted God with the results. Everywhere he went God promoted him and blessed him, even though everywhere he went people hurt him. After years in prison, he ended up second in command of Egypt.

4. God redeems. Years later, Joseph's brothers came to him begging for food during a famine. He could have made them slaves, like they did to him. Instead he said, "Don't be upset, and don't be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives" (Genesis 45:5 NLT). Later he put it this way: "You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good" (Genesis 50:20 NLT).

5. Your pain can help someone else. "He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us" (2 Corinthians 1:4 NLT).

You might be thinking…

"So God wanted this to happen to me?" No. God never calls evil good. Joseph's brothers were responsible for what they did. But God is so good He can take even what was meant to destroy you and bring something good out of it.

"I don't see anything good yet." Joseph waited more than a decade. Keep trusting, keep doing what's right, and keep your heart soft. The story isn't over.

Next step

Bring your hurt to God honestly this week. Then ask Him, "Who could I help someday because of what I've been through?" If the enemy said it, it's a lie. Don't attach your faith to his lies.

Related questions

• What Should I Do When I've Been Hurt?

• Why Doesn't God Stop My Suffering When He Could?