The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Psalm 119:67, 71, 75, “Before I was afflicted I went astray,

But now I keep Thy word…. It is good for me that I was afflicted,

That I may learn Thy statutes…. I know, O LORD, that Thy judgments

are righteous, And that in faithfulness Thou hast afflicted me.”

The Hebrew word “affliction” (????? , anah) means many things. It means

disturbed, humbled, mistreated, oppressed, silenced, violated, and

weakened. Each of these undesirable things come to us in different

ways. We can be physically afflicted, emotionally afflicted, embarrassed

into silence, violated in multiple ways. Affliction can result in a hospital,

a jail, professional counseling –the list goes on.

What is interesting in these verses is the migration. First, affliction

is caused by our going astray. We ourselves are at fault. If I had listened,

I would not be afflicted, as I am now. I caused it myself by ignoring what

was right and doing wrong (v. 67). Second, the affliction I am suffering

right now is good for me. What? Good for me? Yes, because it awakened

me to those principles from which I had strayed. I knew better, but I did

wrong anyway. I need to get back on track with God (v. 71). Third, I now

admit that God’s judgment on me is deserved. He has put me in this

predicament in order that I might turn back to Him. He has afflicted me

in His loving faithfulness (v. 75). He is like the doctor, who says, “This

will cure your illness; but you will have to be careful in what you eat or

the next time could be fatal.” How faithful the LORD is! How much we

suffer because we are not–

We pray for you every day because we love you,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”