“For the LORD disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.” Hebrews 12:6
Afflictions are the proof of God’s paternal love for us. We all need chastisement. All of us have our own faults and foolishness. Friends, think about this… Though God may let others alone in their sins, He will correct sin in his own children; they are of His family, and shall not escape His rebukes. We should completely rejoice over that! He is our Heavenly Father! What wise or good father will overlook the faults and bad behaviors in His own children? This Scripture says it all…
“If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all.” Hebrews 12:8
I’ve been sort of in a funk these past few days… not a big surprise! Many voices questioning God’s love and goodness were buzzing around my head. Do you ever feel like a weirdo… a freak… or a loser at times? It seems like things that happen to me, or things that bother me (physically, mentally, and spiritually) don’t happen to, or bother others! Sometimes things are so ridiculously and foolishly difficult, it makes me feel like an alien… not even human! God seems to let others (even other Christians) do things or get things, but He doesn’t allow me to do or get those same things. Make sense? I have always felt deep down in my soul that God has set me aside (You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid your hand upon me – Psalm 139:2). He is taking away everything-and I mean everything-that Satan can use to tempt me. For the Spirit to live the flesh must die – we must be dead to the world.
I know there are many others reading this who are going through the same thing, a “boot camp” if you will. Let me encourage you and tell you that God has not forgotten you! He has not forgotten us. He put us in the wilderness to strip us of everything that is not of Him so we can help others when they need to be strong. Just like the Israellites in their wilderness were taught how to rely only on God, we are being taught the same. He fed them manna from Heaven. They had “just enough.” Like them, today many of us only have just enough to get by…
“And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. And I have led you forty years in the wilderness. Your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandals have not worn out on your feet.” Deuteronomy 8:2, 29:5
I believe there are times ahead of us that will be very dark. God is training up thousands-even millions in today’s world that will be able to stand strong in Him in the midst of this darkness. We cannot be shaken when the rest of the world is shaken. We will be able to help others. Here is a portion of a post I’ve written back in 2008…
Yet God equips us for service. When God wants an Oak Tree, He plants it where storms will shake it and the rains will beat down upon it. It is in the midnight battle with the elements that the oak develops its rugged fiber and becomes the king of the forest. When God wants to make a person, He puts him into some storm. The history of humankind has always been rough and rugged. No one is complete until he has been out into the surge of the storm and has found the glorious fulfillment of the prayer “O God, take me, break me, make me.”
Think of Joseph. God took him through “boot camp” to prepare him for times ahead. We can glean much from his story. Here are other posts I’ve written about Joseph… http://www.lorilaws.net/?s=joseph