God Uses the Mess

How Our Mistakes and Suffering Can Serve His Glory

We all have moments where we look at our lives and think, “How did it come to this?” The heartbreak, the failures, the abuse, the shame, the loss, the wrong turns—some of it done to us, some of it done by us. And sometimes, we think it disqualifies us that we blew it. That it’s too late. But that’s not what God says. The Bible shows us repeatedly that God forgives our failures and uses them, along with the injustices done to us, to work out something far greater than we can see.

Stupidity Doesn’t Disqualify You

Let’s get something straight: your stupidity does not surprise God. He doesn’t throw up His hands in frustration when you mess up. He already knows you’re going to fall short. And yet, He still chooses to work through you.

Think about David. He was a man after God’s own heart, yet he committed adultery with Bathsheba and arranged for her husband to be killed. That’s as low as it gets. But what did God do? He took the child born from that union, Solomon, and made him king. From that lineage came Jesus Christ. God didn’t erase the consequences—David still experienced deep pain. But He changed the outcome. Redemption was born from disaster.

God doesn’t wait until you get it together to start using you. He steps into the middle of your mess and begins His work there. It’s not about perfection. It’s about partnership with the One who turns even your worst day into the raw material for grace.

Suffering Doesn’t Go Unused

Now consider what happened to you, not because of your choices, but because others meant you harm. Maybe it was workplace abuse, like what David experienced at the hands of Saul. David served Saul loyally, only to be hunted like a criminal. But those years in the wilderness? God used them to shape David into a king who understood suffering and leaned on God.

What about sexual abuse? Look at Tamar, violated by her own brother. Her story is raw and unjust. It doesn’t get tied up with a bow. But it’s in Scripture for a reason. God sees her. God remembers and honors her pain. And in recognizing it, God speaks to every survivor: I see you. I know. And I will bring justice.

The world discards the wounded. But God draws near. He keeps count of your tears. He keeps your story.

They Meant It for Evil, But God

Joseph’s life is a masterclass in God flipping evil into good. His brothers sold him into slavery. Then, a woman falsely accused him. He found himself imprisoned and forgotten. And then? God exalted Joseph to second only to Pharaoh. And when he stood before the very brothers who betrayed him, he didn’t say, “I told you so.” He said, “You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good” Genesis 50:20.

That’s not just about Joseph. That’s a spiritual principle. God doesn’t necessarily change what happened, but He changes what it means. He shifts the outcome. He takes the same knife that wounded you and forges it into a key that unlocks your purpose.

God does not rewrite history. He rewrites the meaning of history. That’s the power of grace.

The Fiery Furnace and the Lion’s Den

The Hebrew boys didn’t escape the furnace—they were thrown into it. But God didn’t abandon them there. He showed up—literally—in the fire. That’s the kind of God we serve—He doesn’t always pluck us out, but steps in.

Daniel got thrown to the lions not because he did something wrong, but because he did what was right. He prayed. He was faithful. And still, the pit. But God shut the mouths of lions.

Sometimes, doing the right thing still leads to suffering. That doesn’t mean God left. It might mean He’s setting the stage for a miracle.

The miracle isn’t just survival. The miracle is companionship. God was with them. He’s with you. Always.

Martyrs and Misery

John the Baptist was the greatest man born of a woman, according to Jesus. Yet he died in prison, his head on a platter. James, one of Jesus’ closest disciples, was run through with a sword. God didn’t stop it. Why? Because His kingdom isn’t about escaping death but about defeating it. Their stories still speak. Their deaths weren’t the end.

We measure victory by safety. God measures it by presence. If He is there, it’s already redeemed.

God Feeds Us in the Mess

Even in our darkest chapters, our King is still our Shepherd. He feeds us, feels for us, and listens. Psalm 23 doesn’t promise a life without valleys; it promises God’s presence in the valley.

Jesus doesn’t run from our brokenness. “I am” steps into it. He wept at Lazarus’s tomb. He sweats blood in Gethsemane. Judas betrayed Him, the disciples abandoned Him, the crowds mocked Him, and the Romans crucified Jesus. He knows suffering from the inside.

So when you feel like everything has gone off the rails—whether it’s because of your own mistakes or someone else’s cruelty—remember this: Jesus isn’t waiting for you to clean it up. He’s already in it, redeeming it.

He didn’t come to fix the old you. He came to put the old you to death and raise you with Him. In Him, you are a new creation.

Redemption Is Real

What the enemy uses to try to bury you, God uses to plant you. There’s a big difference. A seed and a grave both go into the ground. But one comes back to life.

Your past does not disqualify you. Your stupidity doesn’t cancel God’s plans. God does not waste your wounds. Your trauma is not too much for God. He’s the only one who can make beauty from ashes and give purpose to pain.

Grace isn’t God overlooking your failure. Grace is God stepping inside your failure and turning it into a gateway to transformation.

And in the process, God is growing something in you. He’s shaping your character. God is forging strength in the fire, compassion from your pain, and wisdom through every delay. He isn’t trying to get you through life quickly—He’s trying to form the image of Christ in you.

When you’re in a season of waiting, of silence, or of deep loss, it’s not wasted. God is working where you can’t see. He is developing endurance. He is building trust. Your Shepherd is forming you for something that will make sense only in hindsight.

You’re not striving to reach God. You’re living from union with Him. His Spirit is in you—not as a temporary visitor, but as your very life. Even when it’s dark, even when you’ve fallen, even when everything hurts—that union is unbreakable.

You’re not fighting for victory. You’re fighting from it. The cross finished the work. The empty tomb sealed your standing. You’re not a beggar for mercy—you’re an heir walking through a battlefield with the King by your side.

Grace is not passive. It is power. It lifts you when shame knocks you down. It trains you to walk strong. It doesn’t just comfort—it empowers.

You Are Seen, Heard, and Held

God feeds us even in the mess, when we’re the victim and when we’re the fool. He listens to your broken prayers, sits with you in silence, and strengthens your hands for the fight.

You’re not invisible. You’re not forsaken. “I am” sees the whole story, not just the worst part.

He doesn’t just rescue you from the fire. He reveals Himself in it.

Final Word

There are no wasted seasons with God. What you thought disqualified you may be the very thing He uses to draw others to Him. The betrayal, the abuse, the loss, the shame, even your sin—none of it is stronger than His grace. None of it puts you beyond His reach.

You may not get the answers you want, and the pain might not go away. But God promises that in all things, He is working for the good of those who love Him Romans 8:28.

Your story is not over. And the Author knows how to bring beauty out of every chapter—even the ones that nearly broke you.

The storm finds you united with Christ. You are not trying to reach God; you are one with Him, and that changes everything.

So, hold on. God isn’t done yet.