Praise For God’s Discipline

Joyful are those you discipline, LORD,

those you teach with your instructions.

You give them relief from troubled times

until a pit is dug to capture the wicked.

The LORD will not reject his people;

he will not abandon his special possession.

Judgment will again be founded on justice,

and those with virtuous hearts will pursue it.

Psalm 94:12-15

Does it ever seem as if those who try to live by God’s instructions are getting nowhere, while people with no thought of God seem to prosper? If so, you’re not alone. The psalmist is one of many people in the Bible who pondered this problem in his prayers to the Lord. Yet the psalmist walked with God long enough to know that God’s ways are just. The Lord had taught him, corrected him, and disciplined him so that the Lord’s ways had become second nature to the psalmist. If we have that type of dynamic relationship with the Holy One, we are the ones who will ultimately prosper. The time will come when those who have ignored God’s justice will face the tragic consequences of their evil actions.

Next time you become discouraged, join the psalmist in taking the long view. Remind yourself of the eternal destiny of those who follow God.

• O Lord, thank you for disciplining me . . .