Day 19: The Lord Corrects Those He Loves
Bible passage: Proverbs 3:11–12; Job 5:17–18; Deuteronomy 8:5–6; 2 Timothy 3:16
A Hard Word and a Kind One
Today is Tuesday 16th of April 2019. Welcome to Day 19 of our 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting. Two days ago we saw that God is like a father to His children. Today we look at something every good father does. He corrects.
None of us enjoys being told that we are wrong. Proverbs asks us to see it differently. We are not to reject the Lord’s discipline or be upset when He corrects us, “For the Lord corrects those he loves.” Proverbs 3:12 (NLT)
He does it as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.
The God Who Corrects
A Sign of Love
A parent who never corrects a child does not love the child more. They love the child less. God cares too much about who we are becoming to leave us as we are. If He is putting His finger on something in your life, it does not mean that He has turned against you. It means that you are His.
For Our Own Good
Moses told Israel to think it through. As a parent disciplines a child, the Lord disciplines us for our own good (Deuteronomy 8:5). He is not punishing us to get even. Jesus took the punishment for our sin once and for all. A father’s discipline is training, and its aim is always our good.
He Wounds and He Heals
The book of Job contains a striking line. Though God wounds, He also bandages. He strikes, but His hands also heal (Job 5:18). His correction can hurt. But the hands that correct us are the hands that heal us, and He never leaves us with an open wound.
We should be careful here. Not every hardship is God’s correction. Job’s own story shows that. When trouble comes, the best response is to ask God what He is teaching us, and not to assume the worst about ourselves or anybody else.
Welcoming Correction
The Path to Life
Proverbs sets out two roads. People who accept discipline are on the pathway to life, but those who ignore correction will go astray (Proverbs 10:17). Everything depends on how we respond.
How He Does It
God’s chief means of correcting us is His Word. All Scripture is inspired by God. It teaches us what is true, shows us what is wrong in our lives, corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right (2 Timothy 3:16). He also uses the honest words of other believers.
And He gives us what we need to change. God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7).
Three Steps for Today
Ask. Ask God to show you any area of your life that needs correcting. Then stay quiet long enough to hear.
Respond straight away. When He shows you something, agree with Him, turn from it and take one practical step.
Learn. Think of a past mistake. What did God teach you through it? Thank Him for it.
Prayer for Today:
Father, thank You that You love me too much to leave me as I am. Forgive me for the times I have resented Your correction. Show me today what needs to change, and give me grace to accept it. Thank You that the hands that correct me also heal me. Fill me with Your Spirit of power, love and self-discipline. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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