RPG Adults
THE GOODNESS OF AFFLICTION AND GOD’S WORD
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8
Psalm 119:71-72
Hebrews 12:10-11
“…but he for our profit,
that we might be
partakers of his holiness.”
THE GOODNESS OF AFFLICTION AND GOD’S WORD
We have learned what it means to be afflicted. To be seen as successful and to surpass others is what the world aims for. To be brought down to the dust and considered useless and unable can be likened to the endtime apocalypse. It is as if everything is bleak, dark, and hopeless. But why is it good for the believer? Listen to the psalmist!
I learn Thy Word: It is good for him to have been afflicted. He is pleased and finds the affliction favourable to him. Of course, the ordeal of the affliction is not easy or pleasurable. But after he has gone through the ordeal, he sees the completed jigsaw puzzle of that affliction, put up to show why it is the best for him. It is because throughout that nightmare, he learns God’s Word. This is the greatest thing that has happened to him. To understand the Word and to be secured of life eternal with God.
I treasure Thy Word: His reaction to the joy of learning God’s Word is incomparable. He portrays the law of God as better than thousands of gold and silver. The psalmist exclaims that even if he has all those, the thrill of learning God’s Word is the superlative! It is as if the psalmist is saying, give me the Word of God instead of those thousands of gold and silver.
It is as if the psalmist finds in the mud and dirt of afflictions precious gems of priceless value. His days of mockery and scoffing are ended and the reward of not departing from the LORD is exceedingly great! The feeling of being cast down into the dust is replaced with happiness about the outcomes which exceeds his expectations.
How sweet to know what our God has in store for us after the gruelling infirmities in life. This should move us to rejoice in the Lord’s promises amid afflictions. We should look forward to what the Lord has prepared for us even under great duress and exhaustion. The psalmist’s experiences should remind us to learn more of His Word and to value it far greater than any material treasure in the world.
THOUGHT: Is my faith dead or alive?
PRAYER: Father, I thank Thee for Thy Word that guides me in doing the work that Thou hast assigned me to do.