My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives. Hebrews 12:5-6
Though the pains that I now know are from the works of man And as well are the result of well-intentioned plans Above it all I do affirm that The Sovereign stands The counsel of acquaintances sounds much like Job's three friends And from appearances it would seem my road is at an end Although I traveled in such haste to what I thought was Him Long my eyes do gaze and search for some new open door But it is only with my ears I hear them close and close and close some more My means are nothing and now I feel I'm at my very end
And He strikes me, and He strikes me, and He strikes me again.
It is in this darkness when flickering faith becomes our surest hope Behind this cloud of suffering stands His will to make me whole What is this rod that strikes my back - of this I do not know Could it be the rod of discipline because He loves me so Would he withhold a chastening blow if flesh becomes my friend A loving father spares not this rod - a repentant heart to win When self and pride and greed and lust do surely lurk within If that the case - my sins to chase - and drive them to the sea Then every blow, I must embrace - for they are saving me I dare not think that my own heart is not so black with sin
So He strikes me, and He strikes me, and he strikes me again.
There are more reasons than just one - the Father does know best Which rod that he should choose to use, perfecting righteousness Though affliction sometimes hides His care, He does intend to bless For to endure unto the end, our faith the Lord will test This could be the rod of purification for my holiness Growth comes in the valley - these trials strengthen me For if we stayed upon the mountain, how little we would be It is right now I must remember that pruning grows the tree In His design this present suffering has greater glory for its end
And so with care He strikes me, and He strikes me, and He strikes me again.
Or could it be that I have veered far from the bleeding path And so He grips the rod of correction to save my soul at last I am so prone to wander, to lose sight along the way While traveling through this fallen world, my heart so often strays And I begin to live as if this world could satisfy Enticed by trappings just as fleeting as the days gone by And so this trouble purges me - and it's no wonder why God in Christ for us is what we have in store So He shakes me, to break me, to make me love Him more To loosen my grasp upon this life and long for heaven's shore And so to pull me from the miry clay and on the Rock to stand
He strikes me, and He strikes me, and he strikes me again.
I might look to another promise I trust I've understood That when man seeks to do me harm, God works it for my good This suffering compared with what's to come, one simply cannot measure How great a loss we do ensure if here we seek our pleasure So freeing us from this world, these pains make Christ our Treasure There is a fellowship that's dear when suffering's our sanctification It just may be to look like Christ, it's God's rod of identification For Christ our Savior bore a cross, the world He means to bless Is it for us to live this life and suffer any less When is the Gospel more Christ-like than when we all are pressed And so my trial may one day cause another one to stand
So He strikes me, and He strikes me, and He strikes me again.
These are just rumblings, scattered mumblings, of one now suffering Please do excuse such random muse if these are words of wind Though this haze may cloud the things I seek to understand I know that now I must press on to have my joy in Him And as I feel Your crushing weight lash down on me again Lord give me grace that I might turn and kiss Your blowing, loving hand
All glory, praise, and honor be to He who strikes, and strikes, and strikes again.
(Gen 50:20, Job 5:17, Ps 94:12, Prov 3:11-12, 12:1, 13:14, 22:15, 23:14, 2 Cor 1:8-9, 4:17, Matt 5:11-12, Phil 2:5-11, 3:10, Mark 10:45, Heb 12:6, 10-11, 1 Thess 5:23-24, Rom 5:3-4, 8:28)