Bring On The Disaster!

And here is today's word of encouragement:

The Lord did not hesitate to bring the disaster upon us, for the Lord our God is righteous in everything He does. Daniel 9:14

Doesn't that just make you feel all warm and fuzzy? Yeah, me too.

This sentence is part of a lengthy prayer of repentance offered by Daniel while in Babylon during the rule of King Darius. The reason Daniel was there in the first place was that decades earlier, King Nebuchadnezzar tore through Judah like a firestorm and in a series of deportations moved many of the people of that land to Babylon as captives. Scripture teaches us that Nebuchadnezzar was used by the Lord to bring judgement on his people for their disobedience and rebellion.

So many folks, even "church" folks, think of God incorrectly; they don't understand the Truth about how He operates. Somewhere they missed that little life lesson that since God is a perfect Father, He disciplines us when necessary.

If God only did nice things for us, what would that produce but a bunch of spoiled brats: selfish, incorrigible and intolerable! We all know children that are out of control and haven't been brought up properly. These are the coddled and spoiled who should be experiencing more cuddling and spanking. :)

Like a good father, our Father disciplines those He loves. That's what that rod and staff in Psalm 23 are for! Sheep, I understand, are not the smartest critters on earth. The shepherd makes good use of his rod and staff to yank a sheep from danger or give them a quick rap to keep them in line.

If necessary, our God will allow us to experience exile as did the people of Israel and Judah, or to roam the "badlands", where we learn once again to thirst for Him.

One thing that brings me great assurance in life is God's faithfulness, and His faithfulness to discipline me. I have experienced it, and I love Him for it.