When Pain Becomes a Teacher

“God teaches people through suffering and uses distress to open their eyes.” Job 36:15 (GNT)

There are some things we only learn through pain—and sometimes it’s through the pain of other people.

It's wise for me to learn from my own experiences, but it’s wiser to learn from the experiences of others—and to let others learn from my pain. I don't have time to make all the mistakes myself! That’s why it’s important to learn from each other’s mistakes—but only if I'm honest about how God uses pain to get my attention and teach me important lessons in life.

Job 36:15 says, "God teaches people through suffering and uses distress to open their eyes" (GNT).

What does God want me to understand about the distress I'm going through right now? What am I learning? Once I've learned it, he wants me to pass those lessons on to others.

We all go through different kinds of trouble. But no matter what my  specific pain is, God wants me to learn these three things from it:

First, I learn to depend more on God through my pain. God wants to teach me about himself—about his power through my weakness, his love when I feel unlovely, his grace when I feel unforgiven, and his wisdom when I don't know which way to turn.

Second, I learn to trust and obey God's Word when I'm in pain. It's easy to trust God when things are going great. It's not so easy when things are going bad.

King David said in Psalm 119:67, "Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word" (NIV). Lessons learned through failure and painful mistakes will drive me to claim and trust in God’s promises. His Word provides hope that he is with me and has not stopped working for me and in me.

Third, I learn through pain that I need other people. If I never had any pain in my life, I wouldn't think I needed anybody. It's only in pain that some people admit that they need others to help them. Pain is one of the most powerful reminders that I'm not meant to go through life alone.

So when I go through pain, I need to trust that what God is teaching me will be helpful to others as I pass the lessons on to friends, family, and even future generations.

In summary:

Pain is one of God's most powerful teaching tools, often opening my eyes to deeper truths I might otherwise miss. According to Job 36:15, God uses suffering to instruct us, and through our distress, we learn vital lessons—not just about ourselves, but also about God’s power, grace, and presence. While it’s wise to learn from my own mistakes, it’s even wiser to learn from others' experiences—and to let others learn from ours. Pain teaches me to depend more on God, to trust and obey His Word more deeply, and to recognize my need for others. Ultimately, the lessons I learn in hardship are not just for me; they are meant to be shared to help others find hope and wisdom in their own struggles.

Bottom line: 

God uses pain to grow us, draw us closer to Him, and equip us to help others through what we’ve learned.