• Why did this happen to me?
• Was this pain meaningless? 
• Did I waste years of my life? 

This message addresses a crucial truth: God never wastes an experience that is surrendered to Him. Our pain, preparation, delays, and disappointments all become instruments of grace when placed in God’s hands. 

1. EXAMINE – Recognize That Experiences Shape Us 

Paul assumes experiences matter. Christianity is not merely intellectual concurrence; it is lived reality. God works through time, process, and events to shape His people. 

Exhortation: 

“Experiences form convictions.” 

Experiences are often the classroom where beliefs move from theory to reality. Many truths we confess intellectually become deeply rooted only after we walk through hardship, delay, or testing. Israel did not merely learn that God was a provider—they experienced it daily through manna. Likewise, believers often discover the faithfulness of God not in comfort, but in crisis. 

This exhortation challenges believers to recognize that convictions are often forged, not taught. God uses experiences to move faith from the head to the heart. 

“Trials deepen dependence.” 

Trials expose the limits of self-reliance. When familiar supports are removed, we learn to lean fully on God. This is not God weakening us, but God weaning us from false securities. Paul’s thorn in the flesh taught him that divine strength is most visible when human strength fails. 

The exhortation invites believers to stop resenting trials and instead ask: What dependency is God cultivating in me? 

“Seasons refine faith.” 

Faith matures in seasons, not moments. Just as gold is refined through sustained heat, faith is purified through prolonged obedience and endurance. Seasons of waiting, silence, or repetition are often God’s refining processes, shaping character and perseverance. 

This exhortation reframes slow or difficult seasons as necessary stages of spiritual formation rather than signs of stagnation. 

“God uses experience not to replace Scripture, but to apply Scripture.” 

Experiences never override God’s Word—but they often illuminate it. Scripture provides truth; experience personalizes it. For example, Psalm 23 may be memorized easily, but it becomes deeply meaningful when one walks through the “valley of the shadow of death.” 

The exhortation guards against experience-driven theology while affirming experience as a tool God uses to press Scripture into lived reality. 

 Psalm 66:10 NLT 

10  You have tested us, O God; you have purified us like silver. 

 James 1:2-4 NLT 

 2  Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.  

 3  For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  

 4  So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. 

 Hebrews 12:11 NLT 

 11  No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward, there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. 

Scholarly Quote 

“Experience is the school of God’s grace.” — John Wesley 

Life Application 

Instead of asking, “Why did this happen?” ask, “What is God forming in me?” 

2. EMBRACE – Trust God with Personal Experiences 

Exhortation: 

“God uses family backgrounds—healthy or broken.” 

No one chooses their family story, yet God sovereignly works through it. Healthy families may model faithfulness; broken families may cultivate resilience, compassion, and dependence on God. Scripture is filled with flawed family lines that God redeems—Jacob, David, and even Jesus’ genealogy. 

This exhortation frees believers from shame or resentment toward their upbringing and invites them to see God’s redemptive hand at work even in imperfect beginnings. 

“God uses relationships—joyful or disappointing.” 

Relationships shape us deeply. God uses affirming relationships to encourage us and painful ones to humble us, mature us, and sharpen discernment. Betrayal taught Joseph wisdom; rejection prepared David for leadership. 

The exhortation helps believers understand that relational pain is not wasted—it often prepares them to minister with empathy and wisdom. 

“God uses personality—strengths and weaknesses.” 

God does not save people to erase their personalities, but to sanctify them. Peter’s boldness became preaching courage. Paul’s intellect became a missionary tool. Even weaknesses—timidity, sensitivity, caution—are used by God to balance ministry and protect character. 

This exhortation affirms that believers do not need to become someone else to be used by God; they must surrender who they are. 

“Your story is not a liability; it is a testimony in progress.” 

Many believers see their past as disqualifying. God sees it as redeemable. A testimony is not the absence of struggle, but evidence of grace. What feels embarrassing today may become encouragement for others tomorrow. This exhortation invites believers to stop hiding their story and begin trusting God with it. 

Genesis 50:20 NLT 

20  You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. 

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NLT 

3  All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort.  

4  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. 

Pastoral Quote 

“God does not waste pain.” — Elisabeth Elliot 

Life Application: 

Stop resenting your story. Offer it to God for His glory. 

3. ENTRUST – Surrender Work and Educational Experiences 

Exhortation: 

“God uses jobs we enjoyed.” 

Skills gained in seasons of fulfillment—leadership, communication, creativity—often become tools for kingdom impact later. God wastes nothing learned in obedience. 

This exhortation affirms that joy-filled seasons are also preparation seasons. 

“God uses jobs we endured.” 

Difficult jobs teach endurance, humility, patience, and faithfulness. David’s years with sheep were unseen but essential. Many believers discover that God used frustrating or monotonous work to shape character more than success ever could. 

The exhortation reframes hardship at work as divine training rather than divine neglect. 

“God uses skills we didn’t know mattered.” 

Abilities that seem secular or insignificant—administration, craftsmanship, problem- solving—often become critical in ministry and service. Paul’s tentmaking sustained his mission. 

This exhortation breaks the false divide between “ministry” and “work.” 

“Even detours become training grounds in God’s hands.” 

 What feels like a delay may be divine direction. God often prepares His servants long before revealing their calling. 

The exhortation encourages believers to trust God’s timing and process. 

Colossians 3:23-24 NLT 

23  Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.  24  Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as     

your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ. 

Acts 18:3 NLT 

 3  Paul lived and worked with them, for they were tentmakers [a]  just as he was. 

Scholarly Quote 

“There is no sacred-secular divide in God’s economy.” — Abraham Kuyper 

Life Application: 

Offer your skills, education, and work experience to God as tools for ministry. 

4. ENCOUNTER – Grow Through Spiritual Experiences 

Exhortation: 

“Church involvement forms spiritual maturity.” 

Christian growth is communal, not isolated. God uses the church to correct, encourage, and shape believers. Faith stagnates in isolation. This exhortation challenges individualistic Christianity and calls believers into faithful participation. 

“Worship renews perspective.” 

Worship realigns the heart with truth. It lifts eyes from circumstances to sovereignty. In worship, burdens are reinterpreted through God’s greatness. 

“Scripture anchors faith.” 

Experiences without Scripture lead to instability. Scripture grounds faith when emotions fluctuate. 

“Spiritual experiences deepen faith when anchored in truth.” 

Experiences are meant to lead to obedience, not excitement alone. Peter’s transformation did not come from the mountain, but from surrender after failure. This exhortation warns against emotionalism while affirming genuine encounters with God. 

Hebrews 10:24-25. NLT 

24  Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.  25  And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but     

encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. 

Acts 2:42 NLT 

42  All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. 

Pastoral Quote: 

“God meets us in the ordinary rhythms of faithful obedience.” — Eugene Peterson 

Life Application 

Commit to spiritual disciplines that position your heart for growth. 

5. EXPECT – God to Use Painful Experiences Redemptively 

Exhortation: 

“Pain is not punishment for believers—it is preparation.” 

In Christ, punishment was absorbed at the cross. Pain now serves a formative purpose. God disciplines, refines, and prepares His children through hardship. 

This exhortation protects believers from guilt-based interpretations of suffering. 

“Suffering shapes compassion.” 

Those who have suffered deeply often love deeply. Pain enlarges the heart for ministry. 

“Brokenness births ministry.” 

Many callings are born out of wounds—comforting others with the comfort we received from God. This exhortation encourages believers to expect God’s redemptive work even in suffering. 

Romans 8:28 NLT 

 28  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. 

2 Corinthians 4:16-17 NLT 

16  That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.  17  For our present troubles are small and won’t last     

very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 

1 Peter 5:10 NLT 

10  In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and 

strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. 

Scholarly Quote: 

“The theology of the cross teaches us that God works most powerfully where He seems most absent.” — Martin Luther 

Life Application 

Invite God to redeem your pain by using it to serve others. 

CONCLUSION: A CALL TO TRUST GOD WITH YOUR STORY 

Summary of Truths

• Experiences shape us.
• Personal history is redeemable. 
• Work and education matter to God. 
• Spiritual encounters form faith.
• Pain is never wasted. 

“God is weaving every chapter into a redemptive masterpiece.” 

Final Encouragement: 

What feels like loss today become someone else’s lifeline tomorrow. Trust the God who redeems everything.