Bible Verses About Everything Happens for a Reason

Does life seem to have take you in an unexpected direction? Are you feeling overwhelmed by the challenges you’re facing? If so, this collection of “Bible Verses About Everything Happens for a Reason” is her to provide comfort and wisdom. These powerful scriptures remind us that events, both good and bad, are part of God’s plan.

Introduction

While the phrase “everything happens for a reason” isn’t a direct quote from the Bible, it reflects a common belief in Christian teachings. The Bible acknowledges both joy and suffering, reminding us that all events in life are under God’s watchful eye. Through every trial, we are encouraged to persevere, to find meaning, and to move towards hope and God’s light.

God has given us the gift of consciousness and a rich, complex life so we may learn, grow, and choose goodness even in adversity. Jesus Christ himself exemplified this during his time on earth, facing trials with grace and faith. We are not promised an easy life, but in accepting life’s challenges, we may find peace. And when we face struggles, we must remember that these moments will not define the entirety of our lives.

Why Does God Allow Struggle?

The Bible shows us that while God has the power to intervene in any situation, He often allows struggles to unfold. This teaches us to trust His wisdom and divine plan. The following verses remind us that God is in control of all events, even those we find difficult to understand:

Isaiah 45:7 
God says, “I form light and create darkness, make prosperity and create doom; I am the Lord, who does all these things.”

Proverbs 16:4
“The Lord made everything for a purpose, even the wicked for an evil day.”

Lamentations 3:37
“Who ever spoke and it happened if my Lord hadn’t commanded the same?”

Struggle Makes Us Better

The Bible tells us that our struggles are opportunities for growth. Without challenges, we wouldn’t learn from our mistakes, experience the fulfillment that comes from effort, or have the chance to choose faith over fear. God didn’t stop Adam and Eve from eating the apple (Genesis 2:4-3:24) or Cain from murdering his brother Abel in a jealous rage (Genesis 4:1–16). But he does always ask us to choose the right path. And the journey to choose the right path is what makes us who we are and is what ultimately will lead us to the light.

Without struggle, we would be a different kind of humanity. To be moral human beings, we need to make our own choices when confronted with difficult decisions. The need to overcome adversity adds an extra dimension to our humanity; the bible makes this clear in the verses below.

Isaiah 48:10
“See, I have refined you, but not like silver; I have tested you in the furnace of misery.”

James 1:2-4
“My brothers and sisters, think of the various tests you encounter as occasions for joy. After all, you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. Let this endurance complete its work so that you may be fully mature, complete, and lacking in nothing.”

1 Peter 5:8-10
“Be clearheaded. Keep alert. Your accuser, the devil, is on the prowl like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith. Do so in the knowledge that your fellow believers are enduring the same suffering throughout the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, the one who called you into his eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will himself restore, empower, strengthen, and establish you.”

This verse by Peter particularly speaks to me. It evokes the intensity of the internal struggle that can sometimes be provoked, the sense of loneliness that can arise, and the truth that you are not alone in this struggle and that the struggle is almost necessary to really understand and appreciate the glory of this life and this world.

Isaiah 30:19-21
“Hearing the sound of your outcry, God will answer you. Though the Lord gives you the bread of distress and the water of oppression, your teacher will no longer hide, but you will see your teacher. If you stray to the right or the left, you will hear a word that comes from behind you: ‘This is the way; walk in it.'”

Psalm 119:71
“My suffering was good for me, because through it I learned your statutes <your laws>.”

1 Corinthians 10:13
“No temptation has seized you that isn’t common for people. But God is faithful. He won’t allow you to be tempted beyond your abilities. Instead, with the temptation, God will also supply a way out so that you will be able to endure it.”

1 Peter 1:6-7
“You now rejoice in this hope, even if it’s necessary for you to be distressed for a short time by various trials. This is necessary so that your faith may be found genuine. (Your faith is more valuable than gold, which will be destroyed even though it is itself tested by fire.) Your genuine faith will result in praise, glory, and honor for you when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

Romans 5:3-5
“But not only that! We even take pride in our problems, because we know that trouble produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope. This hope doesn’t put us to shame, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

2 Corinthians 12:7
“So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.”

God Is With Us Through The Struggle

So God allows evil and struggle to exist and he has given us freedom to resist the evil and push through our struggles. But when things happen that cause us great suffering we can feel very alone, and this only compounds the suffering. Rest assured, the bible tells us we are never alone. You share your suffering with the rest of humanity that God has placed on Earth to be with you and you share your suffering with God, who is always at your side. So, if you are in need of comfort today, can I suggest you take a small moment right now to remember that you are not alone, that God has not forgotten you. Even in this difficult time, God is with you on this journey, walking beside you through every storm.

Psalm 34:18
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he saves those whose spirits are crushed.”

Isaiah 43:2
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; when through the rivers, they won’t sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you won’t be scorched and flame won’t burn you.”

1 Peter 5:6-7
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

2 Cor 4:16-18
 “So we aren’t depressed. But even if our bodies are breaking down on the outside, the person that we are on the inside is being renewed every day. Our temporary minor problems are producing an eternal stockpile of glory for us that is beyond all comparison. We don’t focus on the things that can be seen but on the things that can’t be seen. The things that can be seen don’t last, but the things that can’t be seen are eternal.”

2 Corinthians 1:3-7
“May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ be blessed! He is the compassionate Father and God of all comfort. He’s the one who comforts us in all our trouble so that we can comfort other people who are in every kind of trouble. We offer the same comfort that we ourselves received from God. That is because we receive so much comfort through Christ in the same way that we share so many of Christ’s sufferings. So if we have trouble, it is to bring you comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is to bring you comfort from the experience of endurance while you go through the same sufferings that we also suffer. Our hope for you is certain, because we know that as you are partners in suffering, so also you are partners in comfort.”

Philippians 4:5-7
“Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

The Ultimate Reason Is God

At the end of our journey, if we remain faithful, God promises us peace, joy, and eternal rest in His kingdom. We may not always understand the reasons behind our struggles, but we can trust in God’s greater plan and His unfailing love for us.

Isaiah 30:26
“The light of the moon will be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be seven times brighter—like the light of seven days—on the day that the Lord bandages the people’s brokenness and heals the wounds inflicted by his blows.”

Revelation 21:4
“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more. There will be no mourning, crying, or pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

1 Peter 5:10
“After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, the one who called you into his eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will himself restore, empower, strengthen, and establish you.”

John 16:33
“I’ve said these things to you so that you will have peace in me. In the world you have distress. But be encouraged! I have conquered the world.”

Romans 8:18
“I believe that the present suffering is nothing compared to the coming glory that is going to be revealed to us.”

2 Corinthians 4:16-18
“So we aren’t depressed. But even if our bodies are breaking down on the outside, the person that we are on the inside is being renewed every day. Our temporary minor problems are producing an eternal stockpile of glory for us that is beyond all comparison. We don’t focus on the things that can be seen but on the things that can’t be seen. The things that can be seen don’t last, but the things that can’t be seen are eternal.”

Remember, no matter how dark the path may seem, God’s light will always guide you forward. Let His love be your comfort when understanding is beyond reach.