Circumstantial Evidence.

Dodger:  Hello again.  It sure is great to see you again.  Thanks for coming by.  I'm excited about a birthday party I'm going to later this week with Lilly.  It should be a blast.  Anyway,  Lilly and I figured we would talk about a piece of the longest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 119.

Lilly:  The verses we're looking at are verses 65-72.  Here they are.  By the way, the word "Teth" is in the Bible.  It's not just a fun word I'm saying for no reason, but I don't know what it means.

"Teth

You have dealt well with your servant,
    O Lord, according to your word. 

 Teach me good judgment and knowledge,
    for I believe in your commandments. 

 Before I was afflicted I went astray,
    but now I keep your word. 

 You are good and do good;
    teach me your statutes. 

 The insolent smear me with lies,
    but with my whole heart I keep your precepts; 

 their heart is unfeeling like fat,
    but I delight in your law. 

 It is good for me that I was afflicted,
    that I might learn your statutes.

The law of your mouth is better to me
    than thousands of gold and silver pieces." (ESV)

Dodger:  There's a few verses in there which we'll focus on today.  

Lilly:  Let's look at verse 65 first.

"You have dealt well with your servant,
    O Lord, according to your word."

The author sounds like He is talking to God after God has already done something to or for the author.  What follows in verse 67 catches my eye:

"Before I was afflicted I went astray,
    but now I keep your word." (boldface added)

Dodger:  The way we look at this, it's as if the author was once not doing what God said, and then was afflicted, and then repented and chose to follow God's Word.  There are some other verses, but let's look at verse 71 next.

"It is good for me that I was afflicted,
    that I might learn your statutes."

Lilly:  Let's look closer.  It says that he was not doing God's Word, then he was afflicted, then he repented and grew closer to God and His Word.

Dodger:  Are the affliction and the repentance related?

Lilly:  So it seems.

Dodger:  In other words, we get the idea that this Scripture is telling us that God can use miserable circumstances to bring us back to Him?

Lilly:  Yep.  That doesn't mean that everyone who has trouble has disobeyed God, though.  It simply means that God can use trouble, to bring people to Him, including those who have walked away from Him.  God may discipline us even in order to prevent us from seriously hurting ourselves.  He is our Father after all.

Dodger:  So just as our parents might punish us to prevent us from doing something wrong, God can punish us too?  Isn't that kind of rough?

Lilly:  Not according to Proverbs 3:11-12.  It says:

"My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline
    or be weary of his reproof,
for the Lord reproves him whom he loves,
    as a father the son in whom he delights." (ESV)

There are even times in the Bible where God specifically disciplines people in order to get them to repent, and it works at times too.  When it doesn't work it's because of the person's hard heart, not God's.

Dodger:  In other words, when God disciplines us it's proof that He loves us?

Lilly:  Exactly.  Now like I said before, not everything that goes wrong in our lives is discipline from God.  That's not true at all.  Sometimes God will use circumstances to strengthen our faith and our character, however.  We must remember most of all that whatever God does, He does for our benefit.  As Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." (NKJV)

Dodger:  Even when things are hard, we can trust that God is looking out for us.  Plus, there's nothing wrong with asking Him why things are the way they are, as long as we don't get bitter and start sinning against Him simply because of a bad reaction to the way our lives are going.  If God disciplines us, it's because He loves us.  If not, it's because He loves us.  That's not easy for everyone to accept, but it is true, nonetheless.

Lilly:  God is good, all the time.

Dodger:  Amen to that.  Well, looks like we have to get going again.  Thanks for visiting.  Remember, Jesus loves you, and that's not about to change!

Lilly:  Pamit!