Why do we have afflictions in our lives? We have some sufferings simply because we are human. They are just a part of human life. We get older, and our bodies begin to run down. Not every sickness, every accident or every problem we face comes because God is angry at us or is disciplining us. They may just be a part of life.
We also have problems because Satan is against us. He would love to destroy us.
We encounter obstacles because we have disobeyed the Lord.
All these afflictions are God's tools for helping us grow. We don't really grow until we've
been through the furnace, through the storm or through the battle. God wants to raise mature sons and daughters, and that is why we have afflictions.
"Many are the afflictions of the righteous, butthe Lord delivers him out of them all" (v. 19). He does not keep us out of them. He delivers us from them. Sometimes He changes the circumstances. Sometimes He changes us. The real secret of deliverance is not the circumstance around you but the faith within you. Expect affliction, but trust God for deliverance.
Perhaps God's greatest use of affliction is as a tool for helping you grow into a mature Christian.
Psalm 34:19
Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all
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