67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word. 68 You are good and do good; teach me your statutes – Psalm 119:67-68
There is value in suffering. The spiritual principle of our upside down savior states that obedience comes from affliction. Perhaps this is because it leads us back to the only comfort found in this world. If Christ is not a comfort, then He is no savior, but a cruel master. Jesus is either a comfort or a tyrant, in this there is no middle ground. In this part of what is the longest Psalm, we see the phases of both the writer as well as the humble Christ-follower progresses through:
Away from God, then afflicted,
then brought back to God,
and finally a declaration of God’s goodness despite the affliction.
Do your difficulties drive you away or towards God?
Our desires and objects of worship are exposed when we suffer. The affliction of man leads to the presence of God, but we must be willing to be courageous. It takes courage to face the absurdity of this world with faith. It takes a certain stubborn bravery to believe it will all end with a deeper relationship with the perfect Father.
If life are full of spiritual lessons, what are you learning? What is our correcting Father teaching you?
Today, dig deep into the heart of affliction and ask for His revealed purpose. May He teach you and I His statutes. May we declare His goodness despite our circumstances.
Matt simon blog 