The Goodness of God Revealed in Affliction

“Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.” (Isa. 48:10 NKJV)

God is a good God. He never lets anything happen for bad results. All that He allows in our lives is only for our best. There is nothing better than His purpose and plan for us. How blessed and happy we are to have such a loving Father! The more we come closer to Him, the better we understand how great our Lord is.

The life of Joseph is known to most of us. He was thrown in an empty well, sold as a slave, mistreated and misunderstood. But that was not the end. God used Him mightily to save people from a severe famine. Even Job, his patience and devotion was not touched by the devil. Though he lost everything, God gave Him the double of what he lost.

Even the life of our Lord Jesus Christ too teaches us that all things happen together for good to those who are called according to God’s purpose. In times of affliction, the unsaved will perish but the children of God will flourish. How great is the difference!

Friend, are you going through various afflictions? Believe that God is testing you. Just be faithful in your Christian life. As long as you cling to God in times of pain, you are safe. Like the heroes of the Bible, praise God and magnify His name by being obedient to His will. On the appropriate time, you will see God’s purpose come alive and you will indeed thank Him for the situation you are facing right now.

You are indeed precious to God’s sight. Problems that have come do not mean that God does not love you. Just be patient. The future is filled with God’s glory! Look to the coming days when you will come out as pure gold. You may wonder as to how you should deal with your situations. You need not deal with them! Just believe in the Sovereign Authority of God and do what He says. He cares for you, you will never be ashamed.

Opposite to the early Christian days, nowadays many believers want only pleasures, not pain. How good it would be if we open our eyes and surrender ourselves to be purified. Just saying that God has a definite purpose for each individual is not enough, we need to dedicate ourselves for that purpose. How many of us have done it already?