PSALM 119:67, 71 – Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I keep your word. 71 It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.

THEME OF THE DAY. GOD’S SCHOOL OF DISCIPLESHIP. We are probably familiar with these words from the prophet Isaiah – For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord (Isaiah 55:8). Many of God’s children run to these comforting words when in times of confusion and not understanding what the Lord is doing in certain seasons of their lives. But there is another time, a very important time, we also need to run to these truths of the Lord. It is the process of spiritual growth when God is doing His work of teaching us obedience. Or we may call this “being enrolled in God’s school of discipleship.”

Why do we need to run and cling to the words, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord (Isaiah 55:8) in the discipleship process? Because of today’s scripture. One of God’s choicest tools used to grow us in the grace, knowledge, and image of His Son is affliction or suffering. If properly responded to, affliction and suffering will produce precious spiritual fruit in our lives in ways nothing else will. Let’s explore the fruit gained from these painful seasons.

First, affliction or suffering weans us from worldliness and the dangerous drift into spiritual indifference – Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I keep your word (Psalm 119:67). Notice the “before” and “after” conditions of the Psalmist. He is telling us, “When life was easy; when things were relatively calm with not much difficulty, I drifted or went astray.” What did he go astray from? Well, it wasn’t really a “what” but a “who”. He drifted away from his God, His word, and dependency upon Him. That is always the “bad fruit” in a Christian who is self-sufficient as a result of only manageable inconveniences in life. Remove affliction; remove suffering and a Christian becomes complacently disobedient to God. Now look at the Psalm in his “after” condition – but now I keep your word. What did his suffering and affliction produce? The fruit of obedience. No more drifting. No more lukewarm life. Friend, when suffering comes into our lives, the first thing to do is not complain or seek deliverance, but ask, “Is this from the Lord to teach me obedience?”

Another spiritual fruit we gain from suffering and affliction is a teachable spirit – It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes. What a change in the heart of the Psalmist! He sees his suffering as a good thing for it worked in him a heart of soft clay, moldable, teachable in the Hands of the Divine Potter. We find this truth also in the book of Job – He delivers the afflicted by their affliction and opens their ear by adversity (Job 36:15). What “ear” is opened to a sensitive and suffering heart? The ear of understanding. God uses suffering to draw us near to Him and in drawing near, we are teachable. Why? Suffering humbles the sufferer and it is only humble people who are both teachable and submissive to God’s always good work, even when much pain is involved.

So, the school of God’s discipleship. All God’s children are enrolled. There are times it will be very painful involving suffering and affliction. As they come, and we are tempted to complain, think on Christ and remember these words about Him – Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered (Hebrews 5:8).

PRAYER: “Father, help me to submit to Your ways of teaching me obedience, even when it is hard.”

QUOTE: “We were created to know God. Don’t let the world, devil, and flesh take us off our created purpose.”