Do good to your servant according to your word, Lord. Teach me knowledge and good judgment, for I trust your commands. Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word.
You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees. Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies, I keep your precepts with all my heart. Their hearts are callous and unfeeling, but I delight in your law. It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees. The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.
Your hands made me and formed me; give me understanding to learn your commands. May those who fear you rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in your word. I know, Lord, that your laws are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me. May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant. – Psalm 119: 65-76
There are many reasons why God will sometimes allow His children to endure trials and suffering. But here in Psalm 119, the psalmist provides three reasons in particular.
- Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word (v.67).
Jonah knew a thing or two about going astray. His disobedience to God ultimately led to him running away and boarding a ship heading the opposite direction. But God caused a great storm to come that left him drowning in the bottom of the sea. God used this affliction to correct Jonah’s course and get him back to where he was supposed to be.
When we know what God wants us to do but we refuse, He will let us go for a while. But sooner or later the storm will come and so too will the suffering that comes with it. Jonah’s lesson is a reminder to us that God’s plans will not be frustrated, and that He will use whatever He chooses to correct the paths we are on.
2. It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn from your decrees (v.71).
The apostle Paul had many afflictions. Besides being shipwrecked three times and being beaten and imprisoned on several occasions, he talked about having a “thorn” in his side. Although we don’t know the nature of this particular affliction, Paul said that he cried out on three separate occasions to have God remove it from him. Yet God chose not to heal him. Paul went on to say in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Paul, being a strong-willed follower of Christ, had to learn how to not only accept his weaknesses, but to rejoice in them, because they forced him to rely on God’s power.
When we go through trials and suffering, we learn from the afflictions we endure. They teach us about how weak we are and how that’s a good thing, because it compels us to rely on God. And after we endure these hardships, through God’s power and strength, we can then share what we’ve learned with others and teach them the lessons we’ve learned.
3. “I know, Lord, that your laws are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me” (v.75)
Those with a decayed and infected tooth that needs to be pulled understand that the pain they feel at that moment will be far less than the pain that they will experience while the tooth is being extracted. But if they are to experience any future comfort, that greater pain that awaits is a requirement.
God never lets a good hurt go to waste. When He allows affliction to come in our lives, He does so out of faithfulness. It’s hard for us sometimes to see our hurting as an act of love, but it reveals to us the nature of God’s faithfulness to us. The pain doesn’t last forever. He is with us in our suffering, and He is also with us in His healing.
Today’s prayer:
Father, thank you for your mercy and love. I recognize that I am in constant need of your guidance and intervention. I ask for your sustaining grace in the face of my own weaknesses and mistakes. Help me to anchor my life in the profound wisdom of your teachings. The Psalmist says in 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” May your strength and grace lead me as I do your work. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Former Blackout Artist 