For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.~Hebrews 12:10

Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground;~Job 5:6

Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee.~Deuteronomy 8:5

I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me. Psalm 119:75

"I know, O LORD, that your laws are righteous, and in faithfulness You have afflicted me!" Psalm 119:75

The Writer of this Book feels for you in your present affliction, and desires to do you some good. Dear Brother or Sister, I have come into your sick-room, as it were, and wish to tell you a few things for your comfort and profit.

God has seen fit to stop you in the midst of your busy life, and to lay you aside for a while. It is not by chance that His afflicting hand has fallen upon you. It is not at random that He has chastened you. It may seem to be a mere accident that you are afflicted, and not another. But no; God has done it purposely!

Not a sparrow even falls to the ground without our heavenly Father's ordering, and He prizes his redeemed children more than many sparrows.

Learn this then — that your present sickness or affliction is from God. It is His doing. He it is, who has brought this present chastisement upon you.

And what are God's reasons for afflicting us?

Is it to punish? Sometimes it is; but not, I think usually. "I have seen the wicked (says David) in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay-tree" — prosperous and happy. And, on the other hand, do we not constantly see the righteous suffering under the heavy hand of God? Do not take, then, so sad and gloomy a view of affliction as this. There must be another and truer reason why the Lord chastens.

It is because He desires to do you some great good. The Gardener cuts and prunes his tree, to make it grow better, and bear more precious fruit; and God often uses His sharp knife for some gracious purpose. The wise and loving Father thwarts his child, and sometimes scourges it, for its good: and God uses His chastening rod for the very same reason. The skillful Physician, again, prescribes nauseous medicines to restore his patient's health: and God bids us take His medicines, though at the time they are very distasteful to us.

Now, the Gardener, and the Parent, and the Physician all wish to do good, either to the plant, or the child, or the patient. And so, depend upon it, God wishes to do us good. This is the great object of His corrections — to do us good in our latter end.

Here then is an answer to the question, Why does God afflict us? Because He loves us, and wishes to make us holy as He is holy, and happy as He is happy. For, as it has been well said, "Fiery trials make golden Christians."

It is most important to feel this — My God loves me, and therefore He afflicts me. If you can but realize this, it will turn your present chastisement into a blessing, and your sick-room into a little paradise!

And remember, I am not going one step beyond Scripture; for is it not written there, ""As many as I love, I rebuke and discipline!" And again, ""For whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives." God had one Son without sin, but He never had any son without sorrow.

There is another thing too, which I want you to bear in mind — that God cannot afflict wrongly. He never makes mistakes. Our earthly parents sometimes do. They chasten us sometimes (St. Paul says), "as they think best"; that is, without rhyme or reason, according to their own whims and fancies; "but He disciplines us for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness."

Before then you go a step further, ask God to convince you of this precious truth — It is my Father who corrects me, even He who loves me. I will receive this chastisement then from God, and remember that it is a loving hand that smites. I will kiss the very rod that scourges me. I will say, "Father, not my will, but may Your will be done. Make me what you would have me to be. Show me what you would have me to do."

God's Purpose in Afflicting You

You are convinced, I hope, that God chastens purposely and lovingly. Affliction comes from Him; and He afflicts, not as a stern Judge, but as a Father and a Friend.

If I have made this clear to you, I thank God for it; for thus I have given you a sort of foundation-truth, on which your happiness and profit at this season greatly depends.

But now let us go a step further. You will naturally ask, Why does God afflict me? What is there in me that calls down His chastisement at this present time?

1. Perhaps you have hitherto been, like many others, unconcerned about your soul. You have gone on, from day to day, without any serious thought about the eternity which is before you. You have hitherto lived for the world, instead of living for God. I don't say that you have lived in willful sin. You may not have done this. But still you have lived too much as if this world was your home.

If so, your present affliction is sent to arouse you. Its voice is a voice of mercy, saying, "Awake, you that sleep, and arise from the dead; and Christ shall give you light." God sends it to alarm you, to disturb you, to quicken you. He seems to say to you, Are you prepared to meet your God? Have you pardon and peace in Christ your Savior? Is your soul saved?

Happy is it for you, if this affliction makes you consider, and if it leads you to think of the eternal world, which has been too much kept out of sight. Happy for you, if it makes you feel your great need of a Savior, and brings you as a penitent to His cross.

2. Or perhaps you are one who has at times some serious feelings. Eternity is something very solemn in your eyes. You feel yourself to be a sinner, and you know that your only hope of salvation is in Christ. But you have never given yourself heartily to Him. The world keeps you back. Or some secret sin, some little cherished sin it may be, stands like a strong barrier between you and God. Ah, you need decision. You want to break entirely with the world and sin, and to surrender your whole heart to the Savior. You are only an "almost Christian". You are not far from the kingdom of God — and yet you are not in it. You are near the door — but have never entered in.

Do you not at once see then why God has afflicted you? It is to bring you nearer to Him. He would have you now see that a little religion will give you no comfort, and will bring no peace to your soul. It will not do for a sick-bed, and much less will it do for a dying hour.

There is a voice that whispers to you now, which calls to you with loving earnestness, "Why will you die? Why stand so far off, when you may draw near?" Jesus comes close to you as it were now, saying, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. I have knocked before by my Word, by my Spirit, by my Ministers. Now I knock still louder!" Oh say not, "Depart from me!" But rather say, "Abide with me, O my Savior. Pardon my past half-heartedness. Draw near to me, and bless me. Claim me as your own. Make me your forever."

3. Or, it is possible you may be a Backslider. Once you felt deeply. You were in earnest. Jesus was your delight. Your chief interest was in holy things. You loved God's Word and God's House. Prayer was your sweetest employment. The company of God's people was pleasant to you.

But something happened, which turned you from this blessed path. You grew somewhat cold. The lamp burnt dimly within you. Theworld regained its power over you. Your language now is:

What peaceful hours I then enjoyed!
How sweet their memory still!
But they have left an aching void,
The world can never fill.

God might have left you in this state. But no; He loved you too well to do so. He now chastens you — and is it not in mercy? He may deal roughly with you; and would you not deal so with your dearest child or friend, if you saw them running into danger? I am sure you would. And so the Lord is forced to deal with you. Though you have acted treacherously towards Him, and "turned aside" from Him "like a deceitful bow," He still loves you, and will not let you perish, without sending after you His warning voice, and stretching out His arm to save you.

Oh make this illness a time for returning to Him whom you have forsaken. Think of God's great love in sparing you. Think of His kindness in making this gracious effort to bring you to Himself. He seems to say, "Return unto me, for I have redeemed you. My arms are still open to receive you. I have blessings, which may yet be yours!"

4. Once more. You may be a true Child of God, one whom He greatly loves, a precious plant over which He is watching with peculiar care. He sees you serving Him, and walking with Him, but He wishes your service to be a still more happy service, and your walk to be a closer walk with Him.

The Refiner takes a piece of gold, and is not satisfied that it is in the ore. He takes means to make it more precious, by putting it into the furnace. Thus he purifies it, burns out every particle of dross that was in it. Yes, and when he takes it out of the fire, he rejoices to see it so pure and bright, that it reflects his own image.

And so it is with you, dear Christian Sufferer. God's promise is, "I will turn my hand upon you, and purely purge away your dross." "I will refine them, as silver is refined, and will try them, as gold is tried." Even the very best of us — how short we come of what we ought to be, and what we might be! Even the best of us — what need we have to be thus trained and disciplined for Heaven!

No longer ask then, Why am I afflicted? But rather say, "Lord, let not my affliction be lost upon me! Accomplish in me your own most gracious purpose. May I come out of this furnace, as gold purified seven times in the fire."