“It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn thy [God’s] statutes.” (Psalm 119:71, RSV)
In my years as a follower of Christ, I have seen people ultimately divide into two groups. One group will go through trials and temptations and difficulties and come out wiser, with more grace, with more humility, enamored by God, and filled with understanding. The other group will face similar trials and temptations and difficulties and turn bitter and resentful and cruel and godless. All people fall into a spectrum around these two groups. In the end, you could say that challenges in life bring out the reality of who you are in heart and soul and mind. It is no surprise to me that God watches closely the attitude and actions of those going through trials and temptations and difficulties.
In Streams in the Desert, Lettie Cowman includes an insightful commentary on her view of the flora found in high altitudes. Cowman wrote this:
“IT is a remarkable circumstance that the most brilliant colors of plants are to be seen on the highest mountains, in spots that are most exposed to the wildest weather. The brightest lichens and mosses, the loveliest gems of wild flowers, abound far up on the bleak, storm-scalped peak.
One of the richest displays of organic coloring I ever beheld was near the summit of Mount Chenebettaz, a hill about 10,000 feet high, immediately above the great St. Bernard Hospice. The whole face of an extensive rock was covered with a most vivid yellow lichen which shone in the sunshine like the golden battlement of an enchanted castle.
There, in that lofty region, amid the most frowning desolation, exposed to the fiercest tempest of the sky, this lichen exhibited a glory of color such as it never showed in the sheltered valley. I have two specimens of the same lichen before me while I write these lines, one from the great St. Bernard, and the other from the wall of a Scottish castle, deeply embossed among sycamore trees; and the difference in point of form and coloring between them is most striking.
The specimen nurtured amid the wild storms of the mountain peak is of a lovely primrose hue, and is smooth in texture and complete in outline, while the specimen nurtured amid the soft airs and the delicate showers of the lowland valley is of a dim rusty hue, and is scurfy in texture, and broken in outline.
And is it not so with the Christian who is afflicted, tempest tossed, and not comforted? Till the storms and vicissitudes of God’s providence beat upon him again and again, his character appears marred and clouded; but trials clear away the obscurity, perfect the outlines of his disposition, and give brightness and blessing to his life.” (pp. 285-286)
Just as some of the most beautiful of wildflowers grow in harsh environments, so too beautiful people of faith often have worked through their own harsh environments to be filled with wisdom and grace and humility and love. The scripture for today confirms this observation. The author of Psalm 119 claimed that he found good things despite affliction (Psalm 119:71). That affliction drove him to seek God’s word and obey God’s law (“statutes”). The author of Psalm 119 is surely of the group of people in this world who work through their trials and tribulations and difficulties and end up with wisdom and faith and humility and understanding and a longing for God.
A pastor came to the Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati to visit with one of his young parishioners. The little boy from the pastor’s congregation had been diagnosed with cancer. When the pastor arrived at the room of the little boy, he and his parents were not there. Another young boy in the hallway told the pastor that the family had gone together to the MRI suite. As the pastor waited in the hallway for the family to return, the same young boy asked the pastor: “What do you think happens after death?” The pastor was stunned by the question. The boy was only nine or ten years old, seemingly too young to ask such a deep philosophical and theological question! The pastor and the young boy struck up a conversation about God and faith and heaven and hell and more. After a half hour, the family returned from the MRI. The pastor excused himself to visit with the family. The young boy returned to his own room in the cancer ward.
For days, that pastor thought about the young boy and his deep questions about life and death and faith and God. So wonderful was their discussion that the pastor planned an entire series of Bible Studies around the questions and the comments posed by the young boy.
That pastor was surprised by the depth of understanding and questions posed by that young boy. Still, it further proves the point noted in the scripture for today. When faced with affliction, that young boy sought answers about life and God and death and heaven and hell and faith. The cancer drove that boy to look at life differently from most, to see the world through spiritual lenses. It drove the boy to seek out Jesus and ask questions about life and death and heaven and hell and faith. I’m sure God noticed.
As you go through your coming days and weeks, don’t let the trials and tribulations and other afflictions of this life strip faith and grace and understanding from your heart. Don’t let the challenges in life produce bitterness, resentments, and regrets that darken your every day. Instead, look for the beauty of God gracing the darkness of the moment. Look for God’s wisdom to pour forth understanding to your situation. Let your hurts not fester but instead soften your heart and soul, enamoring you to grace and forgiveness. Despite any negative in your life, let God show you the beauty of true faith and the healing power of God’s love mixed with mercy and a heart softened by God’s Spirit.
In Streams in the Desert, Lettie Cowman includes an insightful commentary on her view of the flora found in high altitudes. Cowman wrote this:
“IT is a remarkable circumstance that the most brilliant colors of plants are to be seen on the highest mountains, in spots that are most exposed to the wildest weather. The brightest lichens and mosses, the loveliest gems of wild flowers, abound far up on the bleak, storm-scalped peak.
One of the richest displays of organic coloring I ever beheld was near the summit of Mount Chenebettaz, a hill about 10,000 feet high, immediately above the great St. Bernard Hospice. The whole face of an extensive rock was covered with a most vivid yellow lichen which shone in the sunshine like the golden battlement of an enchanted castle.
There, in that lofty region, amid the most frowning desolation, exposed to the fiercest tempest of the sky, this lichen exhibited a glory of color such as it never showed in the sheltered valley. I have two specimens of the same lichen before me while I write these lines, one from the great St. Bernard, and the other from the wall of a Scottish castle, deeply embossed among sycamore trees; and the difference in point of form and coloring between them is most striking.
The specimen nurtured amid the wild storms of the mountain peak is of a lovely primrose hue, and is smooth in texture and complete in outline, while the specimen nurtured amid the soft airs and the delicate showers of the lowland valley is of a dim rusty hue, and is scurfy in texture, and broken in outline.
And is it not so with the Christian who is afflicted, tempest tossed, and not comforted? Till the storms and vicissitudes of God’s providence beat upon him again and again, his character appears marred and clouded; but trials clear away the obscurity, perfect the outlines of his disposition, and give brightness and blessing to his life.” (pp. 285-286)
Just as some of the most beautiful of wildflowers grow in harsh environments, so too beautiful people of faith often have worked through their own harsh environments to be filled with wisdom and grace and humility and love. The scripture for today confirms this observation. The author of Psalm 119 claimed that he found good things despite affliction (Psalm 119:71). That affliction drove him to seek God’s word and obey God’s law (“statutes”). The author of Psalm 119 is surely of the group of people in this world who work through their trials and tribulations and difficulties and end up with wisdom and faith and humility and understanding and a longing for God.
A pastor came to the Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati to visit with one of his young parishioners. The little boy from the pastor’s congregation had been diagnosed with cancer. When the pastor arrived at the room of the little boy, he and his parents were not there. Another young boy in the hallway told the pastor that the family had gone together to the MRI suite. As the pastor waited in the hallway for the family to return, the same young boy asked the pastor: “What do you think happens after death?” The pastor was stunned by the question. The boy was only nine or ten years old, seemingly too young to ask such a deep philosophical and theological question! The pastor and the young boy struck up a conversation about God and faith and heaven and hell and more. After a half hour, the family returned from the MRI. The pastor excused himself to visit with the family. The young boy returned to his own room in the cancer ward.
For days, that pastor thought about the young boy and his deep questions about life and death and faith and God. So wonderful was their discussion that the pastor planned an entire series of Bible Studies around the questions and the comments posed by the young boy.
That pastor was surprised by the depth of understanding and questions posed by that young boy. Still, it further proves the point noted in the scripture for today. When faced with affliction, that young boy sought answers about life and God and death and heaven and hell and faith. The cancer drove that boy to look at life differently from most, to see the world through spiritual lenses. It drove the boy to seek out Jesus and ask questions about life and death and heaven and hell and faith. I’m sure God noticed.
As you go through your coming days and weeks, don’t let the trials and tribulations and other afflictions of this life strip faith and grace and understanding from your heart. Don’t let the challenges in life produce bitterness, resentments, and regrets that darken your every day. Instead, look for the beauty of God gracing the darkness of the moment. Look for God’s wisdom to pour forth understanding to your situation. Let your hurts not fester but instead soften your heart and soul, enamoring you to grace and forgiveness. Despite any negative in your life, let God show you the beauty of true faith and the healing power of God’s love mixed with mercy and a heart softened by God’s Spirit.