“It is good for me that I was afflicted,
that I might learn your statutes.”
– Psalm 119:71
Nobody healthy enjoys pain, suffering, and affliction. However, that doesn’t mean that God can’t work good out of those! The Psalmist recognized that through his own personal suffering, He had been driven deeper into God’s Word and commands. In wrestling with the biblical why’s and how’s of suffering in this fallen world, the author learned more of the absolute goodness, holiness, majesty, love, mercy, grace, and glory of God. He came to more fully understand God’s will and His ways. Amidst the pain of a world ravaged by sin and Satan, the inspired author discovered the joy and comfort of a life lived nearer to God and spent in deep, life-changing obedience to His commands.
We suffer for many reasons. We live in a world deeply damaged and profoundly twisted by human sin. We have an active evil adversary in Satan. Evil people sin against us. We sin ourselves in rebellion against our good Creator and suffer the consequences, discipline, and punishment of God. Nonetheless, God can powerfully redeem our suffering. As we embrace Him more deeply, learning to be filled and satisfied with Him (and Him alone), and increasingly exhibiting the Fruit of His Spirit, we too can reach a point where we recognize the redemptive purpose and value of our suffering.
Once we begin to recognize and enjoy the eternal benefits that flow out of our spiritual growth amidst affliction, we too can echo the psalmist: it was good we were afflicted, that we might learn God’s statutes!