God’s Faithfulness in Our Affliction
Psalms 119:75 I know, O LORD, that thy judgements are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.
Amazing truth! Our God is ever faithful! Always faithful in the trials of life that face us, our Saviour is ever present with a comforting hand. However, even when we go astray and we face the chastening hand of the Lord, God disciplines us consistently in faithfulness. A proud-hearted believer may resist the trials and reject our personal failure, yet the Lord wants us to know that He is still faithful even when we fail, and His faithfulness involves afflicting us. God sends affliction to drive us back to Himself:
It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.
Psalms 119:71
How then should a believer respond when afflicted?
The believer is convinced of God’s sovereignty
“I Know, O LORD (Yahweh)…”
The Great Jehovah God is the sovereign God. He rules over His creation and oversees the running and execution of every process and affairs of man. God’s sovereignty extends to the very details of our lives: David knows that and acknowledges the rulership of God over His life. It is essential for a believer to know that God is still in control especially in trials and testings.
The believer is convinced of God’s righteousness
“…that thy judgements are right…”
Abraham in Genesis 18:25 states “will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” God is always holy and righteous. In every event and situation, perceived good or bad by us, God always does the right thing. When pain is allowed in our lives, and sorrow overwhelms us, we can truthfully, biblically and confidently say, “God, you are doing the right thing!” There is nothing we can go through as God’s child that will ever be bad for us: no matter how bad it appears. Because God works all things good for us, to those that love Him (Romans 8:28)
The believer is convinced God chastises in faithfulness
“…thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.”
When events of life hurt us, when things we go through cause us grief, the natural response of every Christian is to blame God and challenge God’s character. Not so with David. His experience with God taught him that, even in discipline, God chastens in love. Because God loves His children, God’s plan, even in pain, is to bring His child back and grow His child.
Do you believe this truth, dear suffering believer? Things may turn bad but our Lord Jesus still remains faithful to those who will trust Him.
“Lord, help your faithless child to have faith in you, that through the darkness of suffering, Thy Light of Love and Faithfulness may brighten my eyes with comfort and my heart with Hope.”
Evangelist-Pastor Johnny Tan
Ambassador Baptist Church