As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.
Lord God, may I not despise Your chastening, nor be discouraged when I am rebuked by You; for whom You love, Lord, You chasten, and scourge every son whom You receive . . . just as a father the son in whom he delights. You bruise, but You bind up; You wound, but Your hands make whole. So I humble myself under Your mighty hand, Lord God, that You may exalt me in due time. You have tested me in the furnace of affliction. You do not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men. You have not dealt with me according to my sins, nor punished me according to my iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is Your mercy toward those who fear You; as far as the east is from the west, so far have You removed my transgressions from me. As a father pities his children, so You, Lord God, pity those who fear You. For You know my frame; Thank You, Lord, for loving me with Your correcting, forgiving, and merciful love.
REVELATION 3:19; HEBREWS 12:5–6; PROVERBS 3:12; JOB 5:18; 1 PETER 5:6; ISAIAH 48:10; LAMENTATIONS 3:33; PSALM 103:10–14. Dr. David Jeremiah Life-Changing Moments with God
This prayer hits home with me. Oh how often I am not considerate enough or thankful enough to Jesus for all that He has done or is doing in my life!
The first sentence is intense.
So many today despise what comes from God into their lives! I confess that I am one of them. I have been one of those who has been discouraged by His rebuke.
I often sit and wonder why. Why have so many things gone on for so long.
I look for evidence. That's what all good sleuths do. Seek a preponderance of evidence to state your case.
I am yet again reading the book of Job. Physically he has been decimated. Anguish grips him. From all outward appearances God’s dealt harshly with him. But consider this, God didn’t do all that to him. HE PERMITTED IT. It is something easy to overlook in life about disease or physical anomalies people have. Read carefully the opening chapters again of Job. The Lord Jesus told Satan how far he was allowed to go to try to prove his point, Satan was responsible for everything that happened to Job physically. His family, his health, were permitted by God, for a time, to go through what he went through.
In our lives as Christians Satan seeks to put us to the test much the same. With believers he must ask permission but it should be known and understood he has the ability to mess with our physical bodies when permitted.
Look at the rest of the prayer. It also applies to Job and to us who are in Christ Jesus.
After his trial at Satan's hand, Jesus healed him. In His earthly ministry, many were healed that Satan had injured in the same way. When asked who sinned that person or their parents, Jesus said neither, it was so that the works of God may be made manifest in them.
Job, like those during Jesus’s ministry, was healed completely.
Can Jesus heal all who are sick today? Yes. Physical health impacts Spiritual growth.
Job was a better man after what he went through. God causes all things to work together for good for those who are called according to His purpose. God worked it out after his trial by fire to have Job be wiser for his time through it. He was blessed more in his lifetime after his trial than before.
We may never go through the intensity of Job's trial or we indeed may. Ours might be something just consistent and low key problems. Something that lasts a lifetime. But it's only in this lifetime. In Heaven all believers receive a new body free of defects.
In this life how we react to what we go through is the key.
Job was rebuked and chastised but he responded the right way.
Several of his friends didn't and needed Job's prayer to be healed of Jesus. One, the youngest of them, was the only one to get it and wasn't negatively impacted by the trial.
Look again. Job was going through the trial yet several of his friends, by their own error, were also physically impacted. Requiring prayer to be healed.
I confess yet again of my grumbling about what I am and have been going through. Reading Job it seems in part that I am in good company.
We ask and ask and by all appearances Jesus is silent. The Holy Spirit is silent. The Father is silent. As it was during Jesus’s ministry, timing was everything. In due time a virgin gave birth to a Savior who is Christ the Lord. In due time He was taken to Egypt for a short period to escape Herod. In due time He grew up as a human and exemplified obedience. In due time all who were ill from normal physical illnesses and those illnesses instigated by Satan were healed. All..of...them.
We choose how we react to what God allows. Jesus allowed Job to go through what he did at Satan's hands. Jesus said we would have tribulations in this life. Things would be permitted to happen for the glory of God. To bring people to salvation. People would need to go through things to remove the excuses of themselves and others to break down strongholds and lofty thoughts and to bring salvation to people.
How you react won't necessarily bring about an end to the trial but it will give you an opportunity to grow in Christ. It will cause others to wonder how someone can go through life as you do and still cling to Jesus. The early Church had to face persecution to be forced out of their comfort zone to reach people across this world. You and I are really no different.
If God hadn't stretched me and brought me through several fires I wouldn't be writing these blog posts today.
If you haven't been reacting as you ought, stop and confess that to Jesus.
Your life has a purpose and it's not what most think, what you go through is to grow you and reach others. Time is short. Jesus is returning.
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