Trusting God with Your Pain
Grand Canyon University offers resources to help connect those struggling with others.
Written By
Isabel Maguire
Professional Writing Student
Grand Canyon University offers resources to help connect those struggling with others.
Speak with a University Counselor today.
Approved and verified accurate by the Local Outreach Ministry Coordinator of Spiritual Life Nov. 26, 2025.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Grand Canyon University. Any sources cited were accurate as of the publish date.
Life’s struggles aren’t wasted — God uses pain to shape us and strengthen our faith. Trust Him in uncertainty, because what feels like a setback can become the soil where hope and purpose grow.
Why has life left us limping? What have we endured that makes us different? Have you prayed for something for so long that you’ve stopped believing that Jesus can grant it?
Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, faced shame because of her age. She hid her pregnancy, yet God turned her pain into purpose, allowing her to support Mary during her journey. What Elizabeth once saw as a disgrace became a testimony of God’s faithfulness.
We all have burdens we carry that we try to hide. That’s what creates our testimony. Begin asking yourself: why do I have this, and who can I help down their path because of it? When we give our suffering to Jesus, He does things we cannot even imagine. He does his best work through suffering.
Personally, if I hadn’t walked through difficult relationships, I wouldn’t have been able to guide my friends as they navigated similar struggles. In the moment, pain feels pointless. But on the other side, we see God’s plan, whether it’s to help someone else or learn a much-needed lesson.
Pain is an inescapable part of life. Whether it's financial stress, friendship drama, academic pressure or a heartbreak, life is full of letdowns and struggles. These struggles can leave us wondering if we will ever make it through. Yet, in the middle of uncertainty, God calls us to trust Him, in the good and the bad. So how do we live that out when life feels overwhelming?
Pain often feels like an interruption to life, but what if it’s part of the way God is shaping us into the best we can be? Scripture reminds us that pain and suffering are never pointless; they refine us like gold in fire. When we face heartbreak, disappointment or uncertainty, it’s easy to believe God has abandoned us. But those moments can become the soil where faith grows strongest.
Think about Joseph in the book of Genesis. He was betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery and imprisoned for something he never did. His life tumbled downhill faster than he was prepared for, but every setback allowed God to work toward a greater purpose. God had a plan the entire time: for Joseph to play a part in saving the nations during famine. What first appeared as unfair suffering was preparation for liberation.
When life hurts, our human instinct is to try and salvage it by taking control. We want to fix the problem, find a solution and make the pain stop. But God calls us to surrender to Him. Trusting Him and surrendering control doesn’t mean ignoring the pain; it means believing He is always present.
"The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit."
College life can be very busy and stressful, and sometimes we forget that we all have lives outside of the classroom. It’s easy to put on a happy face in class when you are really hurting inside. Make a point to reach out to someone and see how you can be praying for them. A simple gesture like that means more than we often realize. God works in ways we cannot always see, such as a stranger asking how they can pray for you.
"We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope."
