I rarely, if ever, recall hearing a fellow-believer admit to the chastening hand of the Lord. His experience(s) may be tough but it invariably is because of bad circumstances or just plain tough luck. After all, life is rough, tough and tumble.
But God instructs us otherwise. As a loving and concerned Father He sometimes deals with us with what we call "tough love." It is that but behind it is God's sanctifying love for His beloved children. He will make us like His Son, Jesus Christ. "For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son..." (Romans 8:29). His determined design can involve a process that can be pretty rough.
The writer of Hebrews chided his readers with these words: "...and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, 'MY son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; For those whom the Lord loves HE disciplines, and HE scourges EVERY son whom HE receives" (12:5,6). His readers may well have been chalking up their difficult experiences with statements like: "Well, these are tough times" or "Into every life a little rain must fall" or "My luck must have run out" or, most disconcerting, "Where's God when you need Him?"
The text declares that EVERY child of God at one time or another is subject to His reproof and chastening hand. Sometimes it gets really harsh. But, as Thomas Brooks said, "God would not rub so hard, were it not to fetch out the dirt and spots that be in His people."
Remember this, God usually warns before He wounds. When He speaks to us we need to immediately align ourselves with His truth. The cycle of conviction, repentence and recomitment is ever ongoing in this life.
What God does for us emanates from His perfect love. (And remember, "perfect love casts out fear." We need not fear He will make a mistake.) But, He is more interested in our holiness than in our happiness. His wounds cure; sin's kisses kill.
The saintly Robert Murray M'Cheyne even prayed for God's wise chastening. He worded his prayer like this: "If nothing else will do to sever me from my (daily) sins, Lord, send me such sore and trying calamities as shall awake me from earthly slumbers." Could I pray that prayer for myself? Could I pray it for those dearest to me but who are living carnally and worldly? These pointed questions lead to serious consideration and whether or not we truly believe in God's intent for our lives: namely and again, HE IS MORE INTERESTED IN MY HOLINESS THAN IN MY HAPPINESS.
My stroke of five years ago was God's loving chastening in my life. I had no bad physical numbers, no warnings and no pain when the stroke hit me. I was an enigma to the medical experts. But, what they did not understand, God did it and I have learned so many precious lessons from the hard experience. My bum foot reminds me of the lessons every day. Thank you, Lord!
-dick christen
