Scripture for Today: Isaiah 38:17 “Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. In Your love You kept me from the pit of destruction; You have put all my sins behind Your back.”
Nothing stops a person so completely in their tracks than a muscle cramp! When it happens to me I do not care what I look like when I hit the ground and cry out in agony! The pain, though temporary, can be so intense and feels like it will last forever! That involuntary contraction is incredibly strong and the only relief seems to be in massaging it.
Our suffering may stop us in our tracks. Like King Hezekiah, sometimes all we can do is turn our head to the wall and cry. Our verse for today was written by King Hezekiah after his illness and recovery. He acknowledges that there was benefit in his suffering. He learned humility (verse 15) as a result of the “anguish of his soul.” He understood that the Lord acted out of love and not malice towards him.
Suffering in any form can shake our faith to its core. When we do not see the outcome we want, the suffering can well transform itself into an anguish of the soul. It is too easy to doubt God’s love and wonder if He really cares. But God always acts out of love for His own. He works that suffering into a benefit that is of eternal value although I may not see it. He wants me to “walk by faith and not by sight.”
The ultimate suffering would be to spend eternity without Him. I can never doubt His love because He spared me that suffering when He forgave my sins.
Thank you Lord, for sparing me the worse kind of suffering!
