6 Minute Read

Prepare Your Heart

To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.

Read God’s Word

Proverbs 3-4
2 Corinthians 1:15-2:17

A Verse for Today

Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.

Proverbs 3:11-12 (CSB): “Do not despise the LORD’s instruction, my son, and do not loathe his discipline; for the LORD disciplines the one he loves, just as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights.”

Reflecting on God’s Word

In yesterday’s post, I wanted us to focus on difficulties. We considered the words of 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 and realized that God takes us through tough times in life so that we can help and encourage others who will go through similar trials. The comfort we received from the Lord during those times allows us to comfort and encourage others.

In the verses I chose from today, we hear the Lord telling us how we are to go through trials. We really need to hear this! If you are like me, you may not always face trials in a way that allows you to experience the benefits God desires. There have been times when I experienced trouble and ended up bitter, not better.

So, we need to hear the words of Proverbs 3:11-12. We need to hear that when the Lord seeks to discipline us for sinful behavior or beliefs, or when He simply sends us through trials to forge godly character in us, we should respond to it in a way that enables us to experience the benefits of that experience.

How should we respond? Well, just look at Proverbs 3:11-12 again.

Proverbs 3:11-12 (CSB): “Do not despise the LORD’s instruction, my son, and do not loathe his discipline; for the LORD disciplines the one he loves, just as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights.”

First, we are told: “Do not despise the LORD’s instruction.” The Hebrew word for “despise” means to “reject,” “scorn,” or “dismiss.”

This simply means that when life gets tough, we shouldn’t tune out the trouble or deny that God has allowed it into our lives. Sometimes, because we naturally don’t like it when life gets hard, we may ascribe difficulties to bad people or unenviable circumstances. Sometimes, things can get so difficult that we cannot imagine that God had anything to do with it. So we despise or dismiss the trials and ascribe them to things other than God. When we don’t acknowledge that they came from Him, we miss the blessing.

Next, we are told in Proverbs 3:11 that we are not to “loathe his discipline.” The Hebrew word for “loath” refers to “feel a loathing, abhorrence, or sickening dread.”

I know exactly what this feels like, and I suspect that you do, too. The car breaks down at the most inopportune moment, sending us into a tailspin. Worry, anger, exasperation, and a multitude of other emotions flood our minds and hearts. We fail to see what God might be doing in the situation because we don’t see His hand in it. We just see a trial that has made our lives difficult, and we hate it.

When we fail to realize that God either had to actively send those difficulties our way or passively allow them to come our way, we see those trials in a really bad light. It can lead to all sorts of negative emotions and unfruitful results.

But, if we believe everything has to go through God’s hands before it gets to us, we will see trials as an opportunity to become more like Jesus. In fact, believing that difficulties came from God’s hand who intends for them to have a good purpose for us can enable us to even have joy in the struggle.

James 1:2-4 (NLT): “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”

Charles Haddon Spurgeon, a pastor that God used incredibly in England in the 1800s, was no stranger to trials. He had physical ailments, battled with bouts of severe depression, and experienced much trouble because of his faithful preaching and writing ministry that was at odds with a sinful world culture and a compromising Christian culture. He realized that if he didn’t see God’s hand in the trials he faced, he would be overcome by them.

Charles Spurgeon: “It would be a very sharp and trying experience to me to think that I have an affliction which God never sent me, that the bitter cup was never filled by his hand, that my trials were never measured out by him, nor sent to me by his arrangement of their weight and quantity.” (“The Anguish and Agonies of Charles Spurgeon,” 25)

So, friend, life will get tough. Sometimes, it may threaten to overwhelm you. As a Christian, you simply must see God’s hand in it. If you don’t, you may become wearied and even angry and bitter because of them. But if you see a loving God’s hand that wants to get read of sin and cultivate Christlikeness in you, then you will not enjoy the difficulties but you will rejoice because of what God is doing in you through them.

Life Principle: It’s not what happens to you that ultimately matters. It’s how you think about what happens to you that makes all the difference in the world.

Spend Time in Prayer

  • Ask God to help you cultivate a biblical perspective regarding difficulties that come into your life.
  • Ask Him to help you see them as coming from His hand for your ultimate good.

Going Deeper

If you want to dig a little deeper into what God’s discipline is, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:

“What does the Bible say about discipline?”

Sharing

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Matt Ellis is the pastor of White Hall Baptist Church in Richmond, Kentucky (whitehallbaptistchurch.org)