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In
Psalm 34:19,
we read – “Many
are the
afflictions
of the
righteous . . .” It is a fundamental principle that since God is a
holy and loving Father of the righteous, He continually strives in
His infinite wisdom to make us more like Jesus Christ. Given this
Divine work, afflictions should not surprise God’s “righteous”.
We can be certain of God’s intricate and effective intervention in
every circumstance of each day to make us more like Jesus Christ
at the end of the night than when we woke up earlier that morning.
This is true even though God alone has the capacity to gage such
spiritual growth in holiness on a “day by day” basis.
Not a day goes by without the Lord working continually to conform us
more and more into the image of His holy Son. Thus, to enhance our
dependence upon the Lord, God faithfully works to ensure that our “many
afflictions” are measured and placed carefully within His perfect
providence through which we grow into the person of Christ in every
dimension of our being – our thinking, our attitudes, our priorities,
etc., as we depend on Him for the power to bring this all about.
Each affliction is authored by God so that the product of the Lord’s work
within us will be a deeper grounding and rooting
in Jesus Christ. The Lord has a wonderful plan for our lives, but that plan is not to keep us free of affliction. Rather the Lord often will
send affliction into our day so that we are drawn to Him, are more dependent upon Him, and so that we will be compelled to seek our
happiness primarily in and through Christ.
In Ps 4:7
speaks of the gladness which the Lord provides as that which is greater
than temporal blessing - “You have put gladness in my heart, more than
when their grain and new wine abound.”
The Lord’s infinite love is so fixed upon us that no person, no force of
evil and no source of personal affliction can thwart God’s effort to use
every aspect of our daily lives to unfold that love into the ebb and
flow of each day’s experience. God’s love is infinitely wise. He is
consequently always seeking our best interests. Thus in Romans 8:35-39,
Paul states that no trial or heart break of life can separate us from
God’s perfect love. Consequently in every situation of God’s providence
we are more than conquerors.
Thus the above statement in Psalm 34:19 that the righteous, God’s
children, will as a general rule experience “many afflictions” does not
end with a description of our many afflictions. Verse 19
continues indicating that in “all” of these “many afflictions” our God promises to “deliver”;
There are no exceptions. And this is one very great promise.
Given God’s promise of “deliverance” in our “many afflictions” let us
rejoice – our God is absolutely faithful. He will always respond to
affliction and deliver us. What are the means of that deliverance? No
specific means are indicated by the psalmist. Scripture however
indicates that God will enable us to not only endure the full measure of
the affliction
[1 Cor 10:13],
but that through the affliction some marvelous by-product will be
accomplished for our benefit and for our cause of rejoicing. Let me
suggest a few of these Biblical reasons to rejoice in our many
afflictions:
1.
James 1:2-4
states that through trials the Lord makes us complete
in Christ;
and that
therefore when we are surrounded by trials we are to “consider
it all joy”.
2.
Heb 12:10-11
indicates this affliction may be used by God to bring
about greater holiness and the peaceful fruit of righteousness in God’s child even though the affliction may be in itself a cause of
temporary sorrow.
3.
John 15:1
states that the Lord prunes those branches that bear fruit
so that they may produce more fruit.
Clearly affliction is one means of
this “pruning”.
4.
Rom 5:3-5
describes the end result to trials as
perseverance, proven
character, a hope which does not disappoint,
and the tapping into the
love of God which has been poured out in our hearts.
5. In
2 Cor 4:17
Paul states that afflictions bring about a greater
glory
that is
not worthy
to be compared
to the
afflictions
on this
earth
which in
comparison are seen as
temporary
and of
light weight.
6.
Psalm 119:67, 71, 75
indicates that the psalmist went astray before
He was afflicted.
Afflictions produce
obedience.
7.
1 Peter 1:6-9
teaches us that afflictions, even though at the time they
may seem
sorrowful, yield the fruit of a
genuine, purified faith.
8.
Col 1:24
states that afflictions caused by persecution for Christ allow
us the
privilege to share in the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings.
9.
2 Cor 1:3-4
indicates that afflictions provide the occasion to
experience the more
abundant comfort of God and this Divine comfort
equips us to comfort
others who share similar affliction.
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