What If Heartbreak is Part of God’s Plan

When life gets sour, our initial reaction is, 'Why is this happening?”

“God, why did I miscarry a second time? Why did they take my job away and give it to someone else? Why is this relationship ending? Why is a good God allowing me, a follower of God, to suffer?”

There are times in life when we just don’t understand why we have to experience pain and suffering.

During this Christmas season, someone who would understand how we feel is Joseph in the book of Matthew. Joseph had his plans to marry Mary, and everything was fine until he found out that his fiancée was pregnant. Ouch!

But what he didn’t know was that she was pregnant, not because she committed adultery. She was not sexually unfaithful to him. The Bible said she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit.

Now we understand who the culprit is. Joseph didn’t do anything wrong. Mary didn’t do anything wrong. This was actually God’s plan for them.

On the outside, this plan looks terrible. It looks like Mary committed a sexual sin, and when Joseph took her to be his wife, it looks like he was covering up for Mary. But that’s not the case at all. They actually were walking through the fulfilled prophecy that a virgin would be a child (Matthew 1: 23). They just so happened to be the ones chosen by God to complete this plan.

This tells us that sometimes the suffering and pain we have to go through is actually fulfilling a divine plan.

Maybe what you’re going through serves a bigger purpose. We can’t see it right now, but in time, when we look back, it will make sense.

All throughout the Bible, many people had to go through pain, heartbreak, and suffering to serve God’s divine plan.

Joseph in the Old Testament was used by God to go ahead of his family so that his family in the end would be saved by a famine.

Job didn’t know that his suffering was a result of a conversation between Satan and God to prove that people serve God not for the things He gives but for who He is.

Elizabeth and Zachariah waited on God for a child, but didn’t know that their “delayed” child was part of God’s plan to prepare the way of the Lord.

Paul was attacked by Satan three times, but his suffering kept him humble.

And even Jesus himself asked the Father to take away this cup, but he said, “not mine will be done, but your will be done,” and his death and resurrection fulfilled the divine purpose for our salvation.

You see what we think is a problem. What we think is painful. What we think is wrong is actually sometimes the will and plan of God.

You’re suffering, and pain serves a bigger purpose. Sometimes God will tell us why you are going through it, other times He will not. Just like in the case of Job. But whether God tells you or does not tell you why you are going through what you are going through, God calls all of us to respond the same way - to simply trust Him even in our pain.

Because here is the thing - eventually, the Lord will do His work. He will take us out of suffering and bring restoration and healing.

How do I know this? Because that is what happened to the very same people who suffered in the Bible.

Joseph was reconciled with this family, and he became second in command of Egypt.

Job was restored. He had more kids and lived to the fourth generation.

Elizabeth and Zachariah had their baby.

Paul was healed.

Jesus rose from the dead!

Each person was restored, and their joy was reinstated.

Our story will not end sadly. It will end with laughter and joy because the suffering we are going through is serving God’s purpose. God‘s divine plan is being accomplished, which means we will come out on top and have the victory.