FINI
"Oh how unskillfull and unwise am I to manage a suffering condition, to discern God's ends, to find out what God would have me to do, to moderate the vileness of my own passions, to apply the counsels and comforts of the Word for their proper ends and use."
Thomas Case, A Treatise on Afflcitions
God never allows affliction into the lives of His people for no good purpose. As we have briefly seen there are uses for aflictions and they are indeed mercies.
However as Thomas Case wrote (above) we are unskillful and unwise in managing a "suffering condition." But perhaps this is the greatest usage of afflictions, to provide us with the opportunity to gain the skill and wisdom we lack.
The Word and the Spirit are suffcient for us to begin (and continue) to develop the requisite skills and wisdom to make blessings our of buffetings. If we will ony make use of these graces we will find that no matter how dark and difficult the affliction we can and will learn to bear up under it. But we must make use of God's providence!
Sin, of course, is at the root of all affliction. The corruption of the whole creation is both the catalyst and continuance of all we suffer. Perhaps we fail to understand this or resist accepting this. Were the whole of creation not so corrupted, well, we'd still be in the garden wouldn't we? But we are not and so we MUST learn, we must seek the skill and wisdom we need.
It is an oft repeated, much misused and wonderful admonishment to us to, "Trust in the Lord with all your might and lean not on your own understanding. In ALL your ways acknoledge Him and He will make your paths straight." Note it is straight paths we are promised not smooth and easy ones. Why, oh why will we not yield to His will in all conditions and circumstances and trust His love and power?
We love our ease and comforts too much and have been infected with a view of our faith that is diluted with falsehood and evil. We are PROMISED tribulation, persecution, hatred, etc. in this world. Why do we fight against what the Lord has made clear?
We are promised His presence and His provision to live for Him in this world but it is prayer to change our hearts not prayer to change our world that is needed. Oh we can pray for an change of condition and circumstance but I think that if our focus is on that we have missed the whole point and our afflcitions do not accomplish what He intendes.
We sing;
Have Thy own way Lord.
Have Thy own way.
Hold or my being
absolute sway.
But do we simply mouth the words instead of singing the prayer?
We sing;
Create in me a clean heart
Oh Lord
and renew a right spirit within me
But we are unwilling to allow Him to do so if it causes us any dis-ease or loss of comfort.
Affliction are, whether we will or can see it, mercies, indeed blessings for in them we are made more like our Master for we merrely share in the afflcitions He suffered for us.
Are we willing for God to bring and use afflictions to conform us to our Master's likeness?
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