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Making Affliction Count

Making Affliction Count. Insensitive Friends Hurt. Be careful what you say when suffering hits a friend “God wanted to teach you something” “God wanted your child with Him” “What sort of sin is in your life?” “God has everything planned” “There was a reason” Timing is everything

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Making Affliction Count

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  1. Making Affliction Count

  2. Insensitive Friends Hurt • Be careful what you say when suffering hits a friend • “God wanted to teach you something” • “God wanted your child with Him” • “What sort of sin is in your life?” • “God has everything planned” • “There was a reason” • Timing is everything • Be careful what you say in the moment

  3. Ps 119:65 Do good to your servant • according to your word, Lord. • 66 Teach me knowledge and good judgment, for I trust your commands. • 67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, • but now I obey your word. • 68 You are good, and what you do is good; • teach me your decrees.

  4. 69 Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies, • I keep your precepts with all my heart. • 70 Their hearts are callous and unfeeling, • but I delight in your law. • 71 It was good for me to be afflicted • so that I might learn your decrees. • 72 The law from your mouth is more precious to me, • than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.

  5. Making Affliction Count1. God is good • 67 Before I was afflicted I went astray, • but now I obey your word. • 68 You are good, and what you do is good; • teach me your decrees. • When we have no affliction, we tend to live a carefree life • Affliction gets our attention • We are not immune • Our plans get interupted • We must deal with the important question: Is God good?

  6. Making Affliction Count2. God does good • 68 You are good, and what you do is good; • teach me your decrees. • 65 Do good to your servant • according to your word, Lord. • 66 Teach me knowledge and good judgment, for I trust your commands. • Is God vindictive? • Is there something God cannot be or do? • Is God free? • Is God in control of your affliction?

  7. Job 1: 6-7 One day when the angels came to report to God, Satan, who was the Designated Accuser, came along with them. God singled out Satan and said, “What have you been up to?” • Satan answered God, “Going here and there, checking things out on earth.” • 8 God said to Satan, “Have you noticed my friend Job? There’s no one quite like him—honest and true to his word, totally devoted to God and hating evil.”

  8. Job 1: 9-10 Satan retorted, “So do you think Job does all that out of the sheer goodness of his heart? Why, no one ever had it so good! You pamper him like a pet, make sure nothing bad ever happens to him or his family or his possessions, bless everything he does—he can’t lose! • 11 “But what do you think would happen if you reached down and took away everything that is his? He’d curse you right to your face, that’s what.” • 12 God replied, “We’ll see. Go ahead—do what you want with all that is his. Just don’t hurt him.” Then Satan left the presence of God.

  9. Making Affliction Count3. Time spent in sickness is redeemable • 71 It was good for me to be afflicted • so that I might learn your decrees. • Consider the low-tech times • Going to the Bible for guidance was natural • I am NOT saying God brought you affliction just to teach you; --- BUT--- • You can choose to redeem your time by “breathing in” the Words of God

  10. Making Affliction Count4. Enduring unhelpful people • 69 Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies, • I keep your precepts with all my heart. • 70 Their hearts are callous and unfeeling, • but I delight in your law. • The human need to make sense of pain • The human fear that it might happen to me • Blame is assigned (that I don't do) • Then we can make sense of a loving God

  11. Making Affliction Count5. The Value of God's Word • 72 The law from your mouth is more precious to me, • than thousands of pieces of silver and gold. • What is your most valuable item? • “If the house burns take this box” • Many of us ignore the Bible when things aren't going our way or when we suffer

  12. So What? • Use your illness to learn about God • The causes/reasons for affliction are a mystery held closely in Gods perpsective • Stop trying to intellectually defend God • God is good; Let God prove it • Job tells us that God allows suffering • You have a choice: to see God as: • Vindictive • Good • Choose Good!

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