How do you want your life (or your children’s lives) to go? Smooth, easy, tranquil, and stress-free, I assume? I certainly doubt if anyone wakes up thinking, “I would like a lot of adversity today.” or “I hope my children experience some real hardships this week.”
But did you know the Lord brings trials into His children’s lives for various reasons? If you remember, Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised Land, and they conquered many of their enemies, but not all. The Israelites were ruled by judges after he died. However, the nation went into idolatry and declined. And then we have the following (fascinating) passage in Judges (Chapters 2 and 3).
“So the Lord left those nations, not driving them out quickly, and he did not give them into the hand of Joshua.” — Judges 2:23
“Now these are the nations that the Lord left, to test Israel by them, that is, all in Israel who had not experienced all the wars in Canaan. It was only in order that the generations of the people of Israel might know war, to teach war to those who had not known it before.” Judges 3:1-2
A Time of Hardship
Did you notice that God left the enemy nations in the Promised Land to discipline (2:20), test (2:22), and train (3:2) the Israelites? The younger generation hadn’t experienced the wars, battles, and hardships their forefathers had, and many turned to idolatry and sin. So God specifically left enemies in their region to teach them to fight!
It is a choice a parent wouldn’t make for their children or ourselves, for that matter. But God knows infinitely more than us. He knows a life of comfort and ease won’t teach anyone anything. So God, the ultimate Good Father, sometimes brings hardship into His children’s lives for discipline, testing, or training.
Striving to embrace the training,
Posted in A Word from the Pastor