Can God Use My Story For Good?

Thanks for tuning in to the A&Q series. Our hope is that these short videos will stretch your thinking and spur on more questions. So today you asked, can God use my story for good? And the short answer is absolutely God can use your story for good. And he does it all the time. In fact, the Bible is full of accounts where God repairs the brokenhearted and heals the wounded and redeems people who seem irredeemable. So one story I can point you to, it's a pretty famous one. And even if you haven't read the Bible, you've likely heard about it or maybe seen the musical. And it's the story of Joseph. Yeah, the one with the amazing Technicolor dreamcoat. Now, I won't go into all the details. You can read those for yourself in Genesis chapter 37. But through a series of events, both things that Joseph brought on himself, as well as things that happened to him, he ended up being thrown in a well and left for dead by his own brothers. Now, he didn't die, but he did end up being sold into slavery in Egypt. And while he's there, he unexpectedly finds himself as the right hand man to Pharaoh. Years later, his brothers, they come to Egypt, they're seeking refuge. And when they discover who Joseph is, they're both terrified that he's going to kill them, but they're also feeling guilty for what they had done. And then Joseph says these famous words. You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good. Now, in another book in the Bible, in Romans, it says this. And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him. So what does that mean? Well, the whole point is this, that God isn't finished with us yet. See, some of us have a story that feels so dark and so horrible. It's the result maybe of what someone did to you. And I'm so sorry.

That's not the way things should be. But I also know that God can meet you in the midst of that story. Or maybe for you, it's the opposite. Maybe you did something to someone else that's just unforgivable. And now you can't possibly imagine that God could still love you. You got to hear me. God isn't finished with you either. No matter what you've done or what someone has done to you, God is a God of redemption and restoration. But it's only possible because of Jesus. See, it all points back to him. Your story, the good parts, the bad, the ugly, the embarrassing, it can be renewed and restored and redeemed through Jesus. And when that happens, what people will see is the goodness of God in your life, which means it starts with surrendering to him, like laying it all down and asking for him to come into your life and to make a new path forward. So I don't know what you're facing, but I hope this was encouraging to you. Maybe it was the first time you've heard ever about a God that wants a relationship with you and can forgive your past. And I'm sure for each of us, this has stirred up even more questions. So please leave us a comment and let us know how we can help and we'll see you next time. Amen.