3 encouraging signs that our afflictions are maturing us
“Let a Christian be but two or three years without affliction, and he is almost good for nothing.”
This pithy statement was made by John Flavel toward the end of The Mystery of Providence (1678). As we finish our discussion of his inspiring book, I want to leave you with three indicators that afflictions are growing you as a believer.
1. When troubles increase your love for God.
Have you ever felt an ironic warmth toward the Father when you’re going through something difficult? It’s a strange, comforting feeling.
Flavel: “We may conclude our afflictions to be sanctified, and to come from the love of God to us, when they do not alienate our hearts from God, but inflame our love for him. This is a sure rule: whatever ends in the increase of our love to God proceeds from the love of God to us.”
2. When you’re learning deep, soul-enriching lessons.
My most fruitful times of spiritual growth have been during extended heartache, pain and anguish. I’m not a fan of this process when I’m in the middle of it, but in the end, it’s the best way for me to learn.
“We may call our afflictions sanctified when divine teachings accompany them to our souls.”
3. When you find yourself praying more fervently.
Flavel writes, “But if God afflicts his own people with a sanctified rod, it awakens them to a more earnest seeking of God, it makes them pray more frequently, spiritually and fervently than ever.”
Could it be that God uses affliction to draw you into more intimate communication with him? Might this be something to lean into and thank him for?
As I consider our entire study of The Mystery of Providence, one overarching lesson is that the Lord actively works in and around us in unpredictable, miraculous ways that glorify him even as they bless us. All I have to do is look back on my life to see how true this is.
I pray you’re able to see the hand of God at work in your own life. And in your leadership, too.
Watching,
Tom Harper
Founder, BiblicalLeadership.com
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