When God Wants to Make Us, He Breaks Us: A Biblical Perspective

By Joseph Iyaji | Akahi News

Introduction: The Paradox of Divine Preparation

In life, many people pray for success, influence, and divine elevation, yet the process that leads to these blessings often comes clothed in trials, hardships, and unexpected setbacks. The Bible repeatedly shows us that when God wants to make someone great, He rarely starts with comfort or applause. Instead, He takes them through seasons of breaking, pruning, and refining before revealing His ultimate plan.

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Scripture reminds us in Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” This means the wilderness, the prison, the crisis, or the battlefield are not accidents; they are part of the divine curriculum for shaping destiny.

Let us explore how God used different circumstances to prepare biblical giants like Moses, Joseph, Esther, and David — and what this means for our own lives today.

Moses: The Wilderness Before Leadership

When God wanted to make Moses the great deliverer of Israel, He did not start with Pharaoh’s palace or the Red Sea miracle. Instead, He sent him into the wilderness.

After fleeing Egypt for killing an Egyptian (Exodus 2:11-15), Moses spent forty years in the desert of Midian, tending sheep. For a man raised as royalty, this was a drastic fall. Yet it was in this wilderness that Moses learned patience, humility, and dependence on God.

In Exodus 3:1-10, it was while caring for sheep that Moses encountered the burning bush and received his divine assignment. The wilderness stripped him of pride and self-reliance so he could lead a stubborn nation through the same wilderness for forty years.

Sometimes, God takes us through seasons of obscurity and silence to prepare us for the greatness ahead. Like Moses, your “desert season” might feel like delay, but in reality, it is God’s training ground for destiny.

Joseph: From Prison to Prime Minister

Joseph’s story in Genesis 37–50 is one of the most powerful examples of how God uses adversity to prepare His chosen vessels. As a teenager, Joseph had dreams of greatness, but before those dreams became reality, he was betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife, and thrown into prison.

It was in prison — a place of confinement and shame — that Joseph’s gift of interpreting dreams was discovered (Genesis 40:1-23). Eventually, his ability to interpret Pharaoh’s dream brought him before the king, and he was elevated to become the Prime Minister of Egypt (Genesis 41:39-44).

Without the betrayal, the slavery, and the prison, Joseph would never have been positioned to save his family and an entire nation from famine. What seemed like setbacks were actually setups for divine promotion.

Esther: Crisis Before the Crown

When God wanted to make Esther a queen who would save her people, He allowed a crisis to shake the entire Persian kingdom. In Esther 2:17, Esther was chosen as queen, but her true purpose was revealed when Haman plotted to annihilate the Jews (Esther 3:8-15).

Faced with possible death, Esther risked her life to approach King Xerxes without being summoned — an act punishable by death unless the king extended his sceptre (Esther 4:11). Her courage and faith turned the crisis into a miracle of deliverance.

The lesson here is clear: sometimes God allows storms to push us into our purpose. Without the crisis, Esther might have remained a comfortable queen. Through the trial, she became a heroine of faith and deliverance.

David: A Giant Before the Throne

When God wanted to make David king, He did not send him a crown; He sent him Goliath.

Before facing the Philistine giant, David was a young shepherd boy who spent most of his time tending sheep (1 Samuel 16:11). Yet in 1 Samuel 17:45-50, David confronted Goliath with nothing but a sling and faith in the living God.

This victory marked the turning point in David’s life, leading him from obscurity to national recognition and eventually to the throne of Israel. The giant was not a barrier; it was the bridge to his kingship.

Sometimes the “Goliaths” in our lives — whether challenges, critics, or crises — are divine opportunities for elevation.

Biblical Principles from Their Stories

1. God Prepares Before He Promotes
   • “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” — 1 Peter 5:6
     Every trial you face today could be part of the preparation for your tomorrow’s testimony.
2. Your Pain Has a Purpose
   • Joseph told his brothers in Genesis 50:20: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”
     What seems like suffering may be the seed for your greatness.
3. God Uses the Unlikely Places
   • The wilderness, the prison, the palace crisis, the battlefield — these were the unexpected classrooms for God’s champions. Your current season may look ordinary, but it could be the birthplace of extraordinary destiny.

The Breaking Comes Before the Making

When God wants to make us, He often begins by breaking us — breaking our pride, our self-dependence, our comfort zones, and our plans. Moses had his wilderness. Joseph had his prison. Esther had her crisis. David had his Goliath.

If you are going through a tough season, take comfort in James 1:2-4: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

The breaking is not the end; it is the divine pathway to the making. Trust God’s process, for beyond the pain lies His purpose.

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