Proverbs 20:30 contains a very interesting passage:
Blows that hurt cleanse away evil,
As do stripes the inner depths of the heart.
As Seventh-Day Adventist Christian teens, what does this verse mean for us? How does this apply to our 21st century lives? Matthew Henry, a Nonconformist minister, had some up-front commentary on this verse:
Many need severe rebukes. Some children are so obstinate that their parents can do no good with them without sharp correction; some criminals must feel the rigour of the law and public justice; gentle methods will not work upon them; they must be beaten black and blue. And the wise God sees that His own children sometimes need very sharp afflictions. Severe rebukes sometimes do a great deal of good, as corrosives contribute to the cure of a wound, eating out the proud flesh. The rod drives out even that foolishness which was bound up in the heart, and cleanses away the evil there.
–Matthew henry
Ellen White agrees with this concept as well. Listen to what she says:
The Lord in His providence brings men where He can test their moral powers and reveal their motives of action, that they may improve what is right in themselves and put away that which is wrong. God would have His servants become acquainted with the moral machinery of their own hearts. In order to bring this about, He often permits the fire of affliction to assail them that they may become purified…….The purification of the people of God cannot be accomplished without their suffering. God permits the fires of affliction to consume the dross, to separate the worthless from the valuable, that the pure metal may shine forth. He passes us from one fire to another, testing our true worth. If we cannot bear these trials, what will we do in the time of trouble?
–Testimonies to the church Vol. 4 pgs. 84-85
How do all these things apply to us as Seventh-Day Adventist Christian teens? When we experience affliction, when we go through pain, when our hearts are beaten and scarred, it’s God’s way of cleansing the evils of selfishness and sin from our hearts. It’s His way of purifying the inner depths of our hearts so we “may offer to the LORD an offering in righteousness” (Malachi 3:3).
Yes, it is hard to go through the furnace of affliction; to experience the fires of trial and waters of pain purging and cleansing the deepest, darkest depths of the heart. But there’s a beautiful verse in Isaiah that gives an encouraging reminder that though you may be experiencing deep, overwhelming trial, you’re NOT ALONE.
These are God’s words to you, dear reader, whose heart may feel filled with fear and despair because of affliction:
But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name;
You are Mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you. [Isaiah 43:1-2]
I’d like to encourage you today to remember that although this whole trial seems so dark, so painful, so depressing, so hopeless–remember that GOD IS WITH YOU BY YOUR SIDE!!!
Aren’t you thankful for that? Aren’t you glad that despite the pain of every trial you face or are facing or will face, not only is God deeply and thoroughly cleansing and purifying you, He is also right there by your side as you go through the process?
But what if you’re not thankful? What if you’re angry that God is allowing you to be purified in such a horrid trial as you’re experiencing right now? Maybe your best friend had just died, maybe your mother has been diagnosed with cancer, maybe you’re feeling overwhelmed with discouragement by some hugely hopeless situation. What do you do when your heart is just so bruised, so scarred, so beaten, so shattered that you can’t muster even an atom of gratitude toward the trial? You’re not thankful about being purified–you’re ANGRY.
There’s a verse I’d like to quickly share with you. It’s not much of a big verse, but it’s deeply powerful:
Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
[1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT]
Paul admonishes us in this verse to be thankful “in all circumstances,” including those where our hearts are being thoroughly cleansed by deep affliction. But again, what if you’re NOT thankful in such trying circumstances? What if you DON’T FEEL thankful about your best friend’s death, or your mom’s cancer diagnosis, or the overwhelming discouragement you’re facing? Again, what do you do?
There’s one thing I’d like to really encourage you to do is simply this: Just pray. Just pray and ask God to HELP you to be thankful in the affliction you’re in. It’s not easy, and you may not know where to start, so you can simply pray:
I’d like to conclude this blog post with the lyrics of a song you might’ve heard before. But, this time, instead of just skimming over the lyrics like you might’ve done in the past–I wanna encourage you to take time to really read these lyrics. Take time to think over it, to digest it, and to pray–along with the above prayer–to see the raindrops as blessings; to see the tears as healing; and to see the sleepless nights as moments where He is the closest.
We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things
‘Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise
We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we’d have faith to believe
When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not our home
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise
–[© Laura Story Blessings Lyrics]
It’s my earnest prayer that our eyes will be opened to truly realize that despite how painful things become in life, God is purifying us. He is cleansing us. And, ultimately, He is saving us from the dark, sinful, selfish depths of our hearts that we may become more like Christ in character; that we may be prepared for the time of trouble, and be ready to go home with Christ when He returns. Amen! Maranatha!