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

(Psalm 119:67 NIV)

“Halt!” the drill instructor barked. One new recruit had once again stepped right when the command was “left.”  Marching is simple.  It’s left, right, left.  But, for this Marine, the rhythm was backwards.  Finally, the instructor stormed over, stomped his boot firmly on the recruit’s left foot, and said, “Now, when I say left, it’s the one that hurts!”

It’s funny… until we realize how often God has to do something similar with us.

In Scripture, God often gives clear directions: Forgive. Love your enemies. Seek first the kingdom. Be anxious for nothing. We hear the commands. We nod our heads. And then, like that recruit, we step the wrong way.  We’re not trying to rebel.  We just can’t seem to get it right.

Sometimes God allows something to “hurt” just enough that we finally learn the direction he’s calling us to follow.

The Psalmist said, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word.” (Psalm 119:67 NIV)  That statement isn’t about punishment; it’s about redirection.  Affliction, difficulty, inconvenience, and disappointment can become God’s way of stomping gently on our spiritual foot and saying, “This way.  Not that way.  Follow me.”

Think about Jonah. God said “left,” but Jonah headed “right.”  It took a storm, a sea, and a fish for him to finally turn in the direction God intended.  Or Peter. Jesus said, “Trust me,” but when Peter stepped out, he saw the wind, and sank. That moment of panic became the very thing that taught Peter to cry out to Jesus.

Is there perhaps an area of your life where God has been saying “left,” but you keep drifting right?  A relationship that needs reconciliation?  A habit he’s nudging you to release?  A step of faith he’s urging you to take?  Pay attention to the place that “hurts.”  That may be where God is calling you back into alignment with his will.

Hebrews 12:11 tells us, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace…” (NIV) God’s corrections are always aimed at our good.

May the discomforts in your life not discourage you, but lead you to walk closer with God.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for loving me enough to correct me when I wander.  Help me recognize your gentle guidance, even when it comes through discomfort.  Give me a heart that is quick to obey and eager to follow you.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Alan Smith
Reprinted with permission from Alan Smith’s Thought For the Day