What have we learned so far about bitterness? In a nutshell: Humility kicks bitterness to the curb, declaring “Since I have been created for God’s glory, I can no longer relate to Him as if He’s a genie whose job it is to ‘come through’ on my agenda.” Humility enables us to say, “Thy will be done,” and respond to hardship with faith in God’s perfect wisdom, power and love.
And now for step two: Determine, with God’s grace, to be trained by hardships. Hebrews 12 exhorts us to respond correctly to God’s discipline. Specifically, we mustn’t shake our fists or stubbornly dig in our heels. And we can’t fall into despair. Both responses grow out of an attitude of entitlement – not humility – and both cultivate bitterness.
Instead, let’s pray along these lines: For God to reveal how He wants to use hardships to refine us; for grace to be a moldable, teachable piece of clay in His loving hands, for grace to loosen our grip on the things of this world (especially our expectations); and for grace to keep our eyes on the prize: a harvest of righteousness and peace.
The Puritan John Flavel puts it this way: “Afflictions do not happen by chance, but by counsel.” (Job 5:6 ; Ephesians 1:11) They are “ordained as means of much spiritual good for saints. They are God’s workmen on our hearts to pull down pride and earthly security. And being so, their nature is changed. They are turned into blessings and benefits. (Psalm 119:71) So you have no reason to quarrel with God. Rather you should marvel that God should concern Himself so much for your good that He will use any means to accomplish it.” (Quoted in Tim Chester’s book, God’s Discipline: A Word of Encouragement in the Midst of Hardship, Christian Focus Publications, 2018, p. 79)
Janice blogs at http://janicecappucci.com
Her book, Storm Clouds of Blessings: True Stories of Ordinary People Finding Hope and Strength in Times of Trouble is available now.