It was Good to be Troubled
Psalm 119:71 (NASB95) It is good for me that I was afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes.
It’s hard for us to think of affliction as anything but trouble, toil, pain and disappointment. Yet, it is often in those seasons of difficulty that we are driven deeper into God’s word, to learn His ways to get some idea of his purpose and feel his comforting embrace. Untroubled days are a wonderful blessing but they can also be a danger. It’s easy for us to forget God, to live independent of His grace and mercy. King David was on a rooftop instead of with his men in battle, he saw Bathsheba bathing on a roof nearby, and that lead to a great downfall with long reaching destructive implications.
It is not trouble alone we need, but in the midst of trouble we need to find His grace and His strength and His help. It is where we really learn His statutes, not just recite them; They become a part of our being. We move from hearers of the Word to doers of the Word.
Psalm 18:2 (NASB95) The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
God can take a bad thing and make it a good thing.
I love you, Pastor Randy