God Uses Broken People—and He Wants to Use You
Have you ever wondered if your mistakes disqualify you from serving God? Today, I warmly invite you to travel back in time with me, and I’ll bear witness to the fact that God uses broken people—and he wants to use you.
We’ll also look at eight biblical figures who were used by God despite their brokenness.
Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to encourage you as you follow God by faith.
Now, I invite you into my story of brokenness.
God Uses Broken People
My early twenties were tumultuous.
I was angry with God and decided to live for myself instead of living for him. After a few tough years, I realized I wasn’t cultivating the life I wanted for myself. I returned to God with a humble heart and asked him to help me put my life back together.
Slowly, God began the restorative work of healing my heart. I also began to realize that God uses broken people to fulfill his purposes.
When I first returned to the Lord, I felt disqualified from ministering to others.
I remember sharing my feelings with a mentor who looked straight into my eyes and said, “Stacey, God will use the hard parts of your story to minister to others in powerful ways.”
Decades later, I can attest that my mentor was right. God has used the most painful parts of my story to minister to young women who are facing similar situations. In fact, the hard parts of my story are the precise reason some of the women in my life have decided to trust me.
Nobody wants to share their dirt with someone who is perfect. The women in my life know I’ve made mistakes. Because I’m willing to offer them glimpses into God’s healing work in my life, they offer me the gift of transparency about their lives.
I share this humbly. I share it to encourage every person who feels too broken to be used by God.
God uses broken vessels.
God uses broken people, and no one is too broken to be used by God.
The hard parts of my current story include career disappointments, parenting failures, fear, anxiety, and more. When I start to question God’s purpose for these troubles, I remind myself that he will use these parts of my story to encourage and comfort others as well.
Second Corinthians 1:4 tells us that God wants us to comfort others with the same comfort we first received from him.
God will use the hard parts of your story to comfort, encourage, and inspire others, too. Revelation 12:11 reminds us that we overcome the enemy by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony.
Your story matters and God wants to use it—even the imperfect parts—to minister to others.
Your story matters and God wants to use it—even the imperfect parts—to minister to others. #brokenness #weakness #mininstry #lovingothers Share on XWeakness Is the Perfect Platform for God to Make His Power Known
A few months ago, I wrote about the morning after our first child was born. As I held my baby in the hospital room, God reminded me of nine short words: “For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).
I knew God wasn’t asking me to equip myself for the calling of motherhood. He wasn’t calling me to perfection or self-sufficient strength; instead, he was teaching me to trust him. He reminded me that he would give me all I needed to care for our child.
That moment in the hospital took place more than twelve years ago, but I remember it often. It has become an anchor on my journey of parenthood.
Every time I start to doubt my ability to raise my children, I remind myself that my weakness is the perfect platform for God to show up in his power.
He provides all I need for every step of this journey.
God is not calling you to hold your world together either. Perhaps you feel weak and entirely insufficient in some realm of your life. You might feel like you’ve messed up too much or are too broken to minister to others.
You Have Never Fallen Too Far
If this is you, seek healing through pastoral care, counseling, and a community of loving people. Let God begin the work of healing your heart. But remember this: Your weakest areas are the precise places where God is waiting to move and make his power known.
God is inviting you to new levels of trust. He is allowing this weakness so that you can experience his power and encounter him in new ways.
God is inviting you to new levels of trust. He is allowing this weakness so that you can experience his power and encounter him in new ways. #trustingGod #weakness Share on X
Let’s now look at eight biblical figures who were used by God despite their brokenness.
Brokenness in the Bible: God Uses Broken People
1. Moses
Moses was a Hebrew by birth. When an Egyptian princess discovered him floating down the Nile River in a basket, he was taken into the king’s palace and raised as an Egyptian.
Protective of his Hebrew heritage, as a young man, Moses murdered an Egyptian who was beating a fellow Hebrew. Moses was zealous for the Lord, but he was also immature. God did not call him to murder the Egyptian, and in doing so, Moses sinned against God.
Furthermore, Moses didn’t speak well. Some scholars believe he stuttered. When God called Moses to lead the Hebrew people out of Egypt, he permitted his brother Aaron to speak for him. Together, God used them to lead his people out of slavery and toward the Promised Land.
Despite Moses’ imperfect past and personal weaknesses, God used him for one of the most amazing deliverance stories recorded in the history of the world.
2. Jacob
Jacob’s name means “deceiver.” Jacob is known for tricking his twin brother, Esau, into selling his birthright for a bowl of soup. This birthright gave Jacob the role of family leader and doubled his inheritance.
Later, Jacob deceived his father, Isaac, and stole Esau’s blessing as well.
After stealing the blessing, Jacob fled from home, fearing Esau’s wrath. In the wilderness, he wrestled with God throughout a long, dark night. God injured Jacob’s hip and also gave him a new name: Israel.
God broke Jacob’s spirit and commissioned him into a new role. As an older man, Israel’s 12 sons became the 12 forefathers of the nation bearing their father’s name: Israel.
Jacob’s story shoes that God uses sinful people. We also learn that God often breaks us to humble us before we can be used for his glory.
3. Rahab
Rahab was a prostitute who lived in the formidable wall surrounding the fortress of Jericho. When the Hebrews sent spies to plan their attack against the city, Rahab protected the spies by hiding them and helping them escape.
To repay her for her kindness, the Hebrews spared her life—and the lives of her family members—when they attacked Jericho. She eventually became a follower of God and was even in the lineage of Jesus.
Rahab is listed in the famous “Hall of Faith” in Hebrews 11 as a hero of the faith. From her example, we learn that God can use anyone for his glory.
No matter how imperfect your past—or present—might be, God is pursuing you. He has a plan for you. He wants you to obey him, and he invites you to follow him.
4. David
David was known as a man after God’s heart. However, he also sexually violated another man’s wife and murdered the man to hide his guilt.
He repented and God forgave him, but strife and bloodshed followed his family for generations.
David’s story shows us that God can even use rapists and murders for his purposes.
The key to David’s success was his repentant, humble heart. He owned up to his sin when the prophet Nathan called him out. He confessed it to God, and God forgave him.
David’s story teaches us that no sin is too great for God to forgive. If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful to forgive us. Furthermore, he can use us to fulfill his purpose and might even call us to lead others.
5. Jonah
When God called Jonah to share his words with the nation of Nineveh, Jonah boarded a ship to Tarshish and headed in the opposite direction. He literally ran from God.
This didn’t stop God’s plan from unfolding in his life. Jonah was swallowed by a giant fish. When the fish spat him out, he obeyed God and went to Nineveh.
This seems like an outlandish story to us today. Could someone really survive in the belly of a fish for three days?
We don’t have answers to these questions, but we can still learn from Jonah’s story: When God calls us to obey, we should follow him, not run in the opposite direction. If we run, God will use drastic means to call us to obedience.
6. Matthew
Matthew was a tax collector, despised by Jews as a traitor. Tax collectors were notoriously deceptive. Nevertheless, Jesus called Matthew to follow him.
Matthew became one of Jesus’ closest disciples and followers. He wrote the first book of the New Testament.
7. Peter
Peter was another one of Jesus’ 12 disciples. He was working as a fisherman in Galilee when Jesus called him and his brother Andrew to follow him.
Peter was a natural leader, but he also had weaknesses. He was impulsive and overly emotional at times.
When Jesus spoke of his impending death on the cross, Peter rebuked him. Jesus looked at Peter and declared, “Get behind me, Satan!”
Peter is also known for denying Jesus three times the night of the crucifixion.
Nevertheless, God used Peter in powerful ways. He became a powerful preacher and miracle worker. The book of Acts describes Peter preaching at Pentecost, and 3,000 people were saved.
8. Paul
Paul was originally known as Saul. A Jewish zealot, he persecuted followers of Jesus, even bearing witness to the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian martyr.
After an encounter with Jesus on the Damascus Road, Saul became known as Paul, and he was forever changed. He became a passionate follower of Christ and wrote at least 13 books of the New Testament.
Paul’s experience reveals a defining truth: One encounter with Jesus can transform a critic into a follower.
Reflections on How God Uses Broken People
Your past might not be perfect. Maybe you’ve rejected—and even mocked, Christianity. God is still pursuing you. He wants to transform your identity, fill you with a sense of purpose, and use you.
He is calling you to respond to his pursuit by humbling yourself and admitting that you need him. All people sin and fall short of God’s perfection. None of us deserve to be called by him or used by him.
I can personally attest to this. God has used the most broken parts of my past to minister to others who are wrestling with the same issues. God doesn’t call us to be perfect; he calls us to be fully dependent upon him. He can use any person for his purposes. He wants to use you, too.
The first step is humbling ourselves in his presence, admitting we have fallen short, and asking for him to forgive us. When Jesus died on the cross, he bore the punishment we deserve for our sins. God poured out his wrath on Jesus instead of us.
By receiving Jesus as Savior and asking him to lead our lives, we are spared from God’s wrath; we also position ourselves as his vessels. He wants to use us to carry his hope and love into the world.
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If this post on how God uses broken people encouraged you, I invite you to explore our family devotionals and library of free devotional eBooks below. God wants to use you. Press into him today!
Calling All Parents and Grandparents!
As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 6, 11, and 15, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or older relatives to read with the children and teens they love.
Calling All Boy Moms (and Dads)!
God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength helps young boys, ages 5-13, learn what it means to trust God and become strong warriors for his kingdom. Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to boldly carry God’s love into the world. I wrote this boys’ devotional book with our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven! You’ll enjoy their honesty as we teach boys how to be strong warriors for the Lord. Find this life-changing devotional book here.
Mother-Daughter Devotionals by a Mom and Daughter
Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.
Find Our Family Devotionals Here
Find all three books right here. They are also free on the Kindle Unlimited plan, which you can enjoy with a free three-month trial! These books make great gifts, and you don’t need to be the parent of young children to read them. Share them with your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or the young ones you love.
Learn Why Willpower Doesn’t Work and Experience God’s Deliverance and Healing
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life. Find this life-changing book as a free eBook on Kindle Unlimited or for 12.99 in print right here. (If you do not have Kindle Unlimited, you can try it out with a free three-month trial!) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!
A Free Devotional for You
I have a gift for you today. Set Free: Let God Do What You Cannot explores ten realms in which most of us need God to work in our lives and bring deliverance. We’ll talk about finding freedom from fear, worry, insecurity, bad habits, emotional pain, and more. This short online devotional will bless you as you let God accomplish what you’ve been unable to achieve through willpower. Get your download for free with promo code GRACE right here. I also offer a library of free online devotional eBooks for free. I invite you to explore the collection right here!
