Our Daily Bread -- The School Of Pain
Our Daily Bread -- The School Of PainMay 6, 2015 |
Read: Psalm 119:65-80 I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are right, and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me. —Psalm 119:75 In his book The Problem of Pain, C. S. Lewis observes that “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” Suffering often helps us to redirect our focus. It shifts our thinking from immediate circumstances so we can listen to God concerning His work in our lives. Life as usual is replaced by a spiritual schoolroom. In the Old Testament, we read how the psalmist maintained a teachable heart even during painful circumstances. He accepted them as orchestrated by God, and in submission he prayed, “In faithfulness You have afflicted me” (Ps. 119:75). Isaiah the prophet viewed suffering as a refining process: “Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction” (Isa. 48:10). And Job, despite his laments, learned about the sovereignty and greatness of God through his troubles (Job 40–42). We are not alone in our experience of pain. God Himself took on human form and suffered greatly: “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps” (1 Peter 2:21). The One with nail-scarred hands is near. He will comfort us and teach us in our suffering. —Dennis Fisher Dear Lord, life is so hard sometimes. I confess that I don’t always see Your purpose in my trials. Help me to trust You, and teach me to become the person that You desire me to be. We learn the lesson of trust in the school of trial. INSIGHT: Psalm 119 speaks of the priority and sufficiency of God’s Word in the daily life of the believer. Here the psalmist admitted that he had strayed, but having been disciplined by God, he now resolved to “keep [His] Word” (v. 67). |
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Our mission is to make the life-changing wisdom of the Bible understandable and accessible to all. Our vision is to see people of all nations experiencing a personal relationship with Christ, growing to be more like Him, and serving in a local body of His family. To read today's Our Daily Bread online visit www.odb.org. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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