A WORD IN SEASON TO THE WEARY

6th April 🌷🌷

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all” (Psalm 34:19)

The Lord has many spiritual lessons to teach us through the trails which He allows to come upon us.

1. When we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour, He becomes our righteousness. To all appearances, Job was a perfect and upright man, one who feared God and eschewed evil (Job 1:1). Yet, after he had gone through the mill of affliction we hear this same Job say in Job 42:5, 6. “I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes”. It was after Job had gone through painful afflictions that he began to see that his true nature was sinful and corrupt, and realized that he can become righteous only by a personal experience with the holy, living and just God.
2. Through afflictions we can develop a strong active faith (1 Pet. 1:7). It has to go through many refining fires to become really pure and bright.
3. These trails help to keep us on the right path. “Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word” (Psalm 119:67).
4. God allows afflictions to come upon us so that we may learn God’s statutes and precepts. We can never hope to understand God’s statutes through any book of human origin. “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes” (Psalm 119:71).
5. These hardships finally lead us to a spiritually wealthy place, enlarge our vision and give us a large heart. In Psalm 66:12, we read: “we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place”.
6. By these testings, we are being prepared for our heavenly inheritance with the saints in light. “…if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together” (Rom. 8:17).
7. When we have passed through sorrows and trails, we are better equipped to comfort those who are passing through similar sorrows and trails (2 Cor. 1:4).
8. It is when we pass through mocking and revilings for the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that we are able to appreciate better our oneness with Him. We see in Matt. 10:24, 25. “The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master”.
9. Sufferings help to keep us humble. The thorn in the flesh must have been very painful to Paul but the Lord allowed it in his life to keep him humble (2 Cor. 12:7-9).
10. Through hardships we are conditioned to enjoy God’s power in fullness. See 2 Cor. 12:9 “…he (the Lord) said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me”.