Afflicted For Our Good?


I was studying today in my Bible in the book of Psalm and I happened upon a verse in chapter 119 that puzzled me.

                       "It is good for me that I have been afflicted; 
                                 that I might learn thy statutes." 
                                               Psalm 119:71

 I couldn't get past the question in my head of "What does being afflicted have to do with learning God's commandments/laws?" 

David, who might have written this psalm, definitely saw affliction, emotionally and physically. Imagine the physical affliction of being hunted like an animal as David was, because Saul wanted to kill him.  Imagine the emotional affliction that David felt because of the murder of Amnon and Absalom, 2 of his sons, among other family issues.

 Affliction comes to our lives so that we will learn to apply Scripture, or so that we will learn to experience what we already know intellectually. 
If we didn't have "trouble" in our lives, we probably wouldn't see our need for the Saviour. Just like Peter had to reach out for Jesus as they were walking on the water (Matthew 14:29), so do we need to reach out to Jesus to be saved from our afflictions. Our spiritual affliction doesn't have to remain; it can be changed into freedom in one moment by the power of the blood of Jesus Christ, when asking Him to be our Lord and Saviour.

 Afflictions are good for the Christian. Through them, we are reminded that our Heavenly Father is in control and will make intercession for us. Just as David and Job came out okay on the other side of their afflictions, so shall we.

 Even in the afflictions....
"Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD." Psalm 150:6

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