photo #3669993

"It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes." (Psalm 119:71)The worst thing that could happen to sinful people would be to live in a perfect environment, free from afflictions. Think about it. If God had left Adam and Eve in that perfect environment in the Garden of Eden, they would have never known they had that deadly infection of sin. But God gave them the remedy for their sin by the shedding of blood to provide coats to cover their nakedness (Genesis 3:21). What a glorious type of Christ on the Cross that was when He shed His blood for that awful infection of sin and the affliction it brings which all of us inherited when we took our first breath. If affliction causes us to look and lean on Jesus, then we'd better thank God for them! You see, God has a purpose for each of us. Is it good health? Is it great wealth? Are we to run around living it up like a bunch of happy-go-lucky fools whose only goal in life is to eat, drink, and be merry? Not at all. God's plan for you and I is to be more like Jesus and less like us! Therefore, the problems we encounter are designed, not to crush us, but to rush us to be drawn closer to Christ Who provides the answers to life's difficulties. The difficulties, the problems, and the afflictions we face on a daily basis are real and troublesome; but they bring with them the promise that Jesus will never leave us nor forsake us while we are going thru them. Like those 3 Hebrew boys who were cast into that ole furnace of affliction that was heated up 7 times hotter than ever before (Daniel 3:19-25), when we read on, lo and behold, we find the Son of God was right in there walking around with them. Well now folks, that truth ought to light a fire in each of us even if our wood is wet.Friends, when was the last time you and I thanked God for the problems and afflictions in our life? The next time they come knocking on our door, let's think of them as vehicles that drive us to the very heart and presence of our Lord.