Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?"
Job 2:10 (NIV)
“Behold, blessed is the one whom God reproves; therefore despise not the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he binds up; he shatters, but his hands heal.
Job 5:17-18 (ESV)
The first verse above is a direct quote from Job himself to his wife, after his children, his wealth and his own health have been devastated. Even in his misery, he was aware that we cannot accept blessings from God and not willingly submit to His discipline. It is through adversity that we grow.
I love what Job's friend Eliphaz says to him in chapter five, reminding Job that while discipline may be painful, God never does it capriciously, but always for a purpose - and it is God, as well, who comes alongside to bind up our wounds and provide healing balm. We may not always know the reason for our suffering (Job never did find out), but we can trust that God loves us; that should be enough.
A while back I received a copy of Jerry Bridges' Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts for free (love free books). Along the same lines, he offers this:
God does not willingly bring affliction or grief to us. He does not delight in causing us to experience pain or heartache. He always has a purpose for the grief he brings or allows to come into our lives. Most often we do not know what that purpose is, but it is enough to know that His infinite wisdom and perfect love have determined that the particular sorrow is best for us. God never wastes pain. He always uses it to accomplish His purpose.. And His purpose is for His glory and our good.
Jerry Bridges, Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts
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