Again I have found my truth in Psalm 119. They were actually both impressed upon me at the same time, but I can only type so much at one sitting. :)
Psalm 119: 67 - "Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word."
Psalm 119: 71 - "It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes."
When we have affliction - of any sort - it can do many different things in our heart. It can cause us to let bitterness in and have a poor spirit about serving the Lord. It can bring us to our knees or drive us even from the church-house and all fellowship with God's children. The way we respond shows others the condition of our heart. What David says here is what I pray to say when I have had affliction.
"...but now have I kept thy word."
- My affliction has prompted an obedient life
- not more straying.
"...that I might learn thy statutes."
- My affliction has promoted a teachable spirit
- not a defiant one.
Are you obedient?
Are you teachable?
This prompts two questions in regard to affliction (no matter how minor it may seem) my own life: "How have I responded in the past?" and "Did I learn to be obedient or teachable?"
This ties in a with my contemplation from last week.
My personal Bible study for this year has started with learning (among other things) the meaning of several words. Two of these words are: VIRTUE and GOODNESS.
VIRTUE:
moral goodness or excellence in our thoughts
- producing modesty and purity
GOODNESS:
uprightness of heart and life; beautiful, blest, cheerful
Has any of my affliction or any of my past failures produced the obedient and teachable spirit needed to learn and DO these things? I pray so, as I wish to have these attributes in my life - especially in regard to being a help meet to my husband. If we do not possess virtue then we can be a stumbling block to younger, weaker Christians. If we do not practice goodness then we can cause the unsaved to turn away from God instead of TO Him. Both of these traits are needed in my life if I am to be the help that is meet (proper, fit or perfect) for my husband and his ministry.
I hope this has made sense. Sometimes, my thoughts tend to wander.
I pray that we all have have the proper spirit for being obedient and learning what God is teaching us. And just as importantly - that we know what God is trying to teach us!
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