It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn Your statutes. – Psalm 119:71, Amplified Bible (AMP)

There is nothing more unwanted, yet more necessary, than affliction. When things are great and we are at ease, we rarely pay attention to the precious promises of God. Instead, we are prone to become complacent, or worse, rebellious. When we are complacent, our spiritual growth is stagnant. When we are rebellious, our spiritual growth turns to spiritual atrophy (decline). It is affliction that transforms both complacency and rebelliousness into humble reliance on God, and it does so by forcing us to cease trusting the mental muscle of human wisdom in favor of trusting the spiritual muscle of God’s Holy Word.

Just as a child who is never challenged to work will grow up to be a slothful drain on society, a child of God who is never forced to rely on Scripture will grow up to be a slothful drain on God’s work. Thankfully, God is faithful to force us into His Word through the schoolmaster of affliction, and because He is faithful to stretch us beyond our comfort zone, we can look forward to a life of steady spiritual growth.

No spanking is fun. Unsought challenges are rarely enjoyable to face. Yet affliction, no matter what form it comes in, will have the effect of drawing us closer to God – if, that is, we do what God intended for us to do by bringing the affliction our way in the first place: dive into the scriptures!