HOSEA 6:1-2 – “Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him.

THEME OF THE DAY. WHEN GOD HURTS US. Yes, God will hurt His people. Now don’t stop reading or immediately hit the “denial button” in your minds. God does hurt His people. Today’s scripture uses graphic language of this hurting – “He has torn us. He has struck us down.” And if we are a little slow to embrace the truth of God hurting His people, take time to read Isaiah 53. One truth out of that chapter is found in verse ten – “Yet it is the will of the LORD to crush Him.” This was a prophecy of the Lord Jesus as the Suffering Servant. Still not convinced God hurts His choice servants and people? Quietly and reverently observe the Lord Jesus in the pain of the Garden of Gethsemane – “And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground (Luke 22:43-44). It is not only illustrated throughout the scriptures that God does bring suffering into the lives of His people, but God has declared that He gives us suffering as a gift, yes, a gift – “For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake” (Philippians 1:29). Friends, if we are reading books or listening to teachers and preachers telling us “It is not God’s will for you to suffer”, throw those books away and run far away from those false teachers and preachers. They are tools of the evil one portraying a Christianity that is not of the Bible. But here we must make sure we understand pain and suffering from a Biblical perspective. Consider with me two things about the God who does hurt His people.

First, God hurts His people to heal His people and primarily heal them from their backslidden conditions. Let’s go back to the scripture of the day. Notice what Hosea the prophet writes right after the “hurting work of God” in His people – “For He has torn us, that He may heal us; He has struck us down, and He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us.” God hurting us is not a sign of His not loving us, but one of the highest expressions of His love for us! He knows if we continue to drift from Him, ignore Him, and not walk close to Him we are proceeding down a path of self-destruction. So, what does He do? He brings painful discipline into our lives. He corrects us with a rod of suffering. And with one goal – to keep us from ruining our lives. Father knows best. See our pain through His eyes – a pain designed to restore because He loves us.

Another reason for God hurting His children is to keep them humble and rely upon His grace. The chief example may well be the Apostle Paul. God loved him so much that He gave him a “thorn in the flesh” to keep his pride in check and his heart resting in the sufficiency of God’s grace in his life (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). And don’t think this was a little thorn like we would see on a rose bush. No, this was a stake that was used to impale things and people. It wasn’t an inconvenience in Paul’s life. It was an extremely painful instrument from God to do a great spiritual work in Him.

Yes, God will hurt His people, but like all things, it is for our good. Father does know best. Trust Him when suffering enters our lives. It is for a good purpose that we will eventually understand and praise Him for giving it to us!

PRAYER: “Father, I praise You for Your steadfast love that will not stop working in me, even when it hurts.”

QUOTE: “The hand of God that disciplines us is also the hand of God that loves us in the discipline.”