In faithfulness You have afflicted me...

I've really been enjoying Psalm 119 lately, and have been meditating on verse 75.

"I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are righteous, and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me."

So I thought I should list all the evidences of God's faithfulness in this situation.

1. David came home before he burned himself, and so was able to have a meaningful conversation with my parents the night before. In that conversation he expressed his desire to turn things around, and re-affirmed his faith in Christ. This is a huge comfort to all of us.

2. The kids were all gone, and did not see him burn.

3. He had the chance to apologize to my dad before losing consciousness.

4. Michael 'just happened' to be in Fort Worth instead of Maryland so he could come quickly.

5. All our friends and church family really stepped up in a huge way to support us (thank you!)

6. This experience has given me a much greater sense of urgency for prayer:
- for unbelievers
- for wandering believers
- for my own need to persevere in faith
- for my own need to take sin seriously in my personal life, and not just ignore "small" issues
- for my daughter, and any future children we may have
- for spiritual protection against demonic forces
- for awareness of hurting people around me, and the courage to get involved in their lives and love them even (especially) if they don't want me to.

7. This experience has given me new awareness of the incredible power of prayer and the sovereignty of God

8. This experience has given me a new depth of longing for Jesus to come back and fix this world, thereby loosening my attachment to the worldly, temporary things that I cannot keep forever anyway.

9. This experience has caused me to be much more "of sober spirit" (1 Peter 5:8) and has reminded me that we are in a real spiritual war.

10. After encountering firsthand the blindness and spiritual deception that has overtaken the minds of so many former church kids, this experience has motivated me to go on the offense against these lies by writing this blog, and by addressing these issues with my High School Sunday School class and young adults Bible study. Already I have seen positive results in some kids.

11. This experience has provided a tangible demonstration of the fact that real freedom is found in a disciplined life - exactly the opposite of what the world says.

12. This experience has motivated me to savor every minute that I have with my wife and daughter and all the people I love, because this life is so short.

13. This experience has reminded me that all sin leads to death.

14. This experience has proven to me that God is really the only true source of spiritual satisfaction; that when everything else is bad, He is good. It has proven that He is faithful, and it has given me the first real opportunity to learn what it means to rejoice in trials. I would not have asked for this to happen if God had told me about it in advance, but now that it has happened I can say that it is in faithfulness that He has afflicted me.


"Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven. Your faithfulness continues throughout all generations; You established the earth, and it stands. They stand this day according to Your ordinances, for all things are Your servants. If Your law had not been my delight, then I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget Your precepts, for by them, You have revived me."
- Psalm 119:89-93