"Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept Thy word" (Ps. 119:67).

The LORD finds us, not in the way of truth, not living by faith on Christ, but going astray. No one can claim they kept the word of the LORD until the LORD afflicted them. The LORD has chosen His people in the furnace of affliction (Isa. 48:10). Though we are dead in sins, salvation begins with chastisement. God’s affliction prepares our hearts. Then His Spirit of grace draws us to Christ crucified by Gospel preaching (John 6:44-45; Rom. 10:16-17). Though we are long plagued, unclean before God’s law, have spent all and suffered much by all of our efforts and the prescriptions of men in false religion -- by the providence of our God and by the operations of His grace, we hear of Jesus (Mark 5:27). Until God’s law convinces us of guilt and helplessness under the law, we are indifferent to the sweet sound of the Gospel of God’s grace in Christ (Ps. 32:3; Matt. 11:28; Luke 4:18-19). By God's affliction on my conscience and by acts of His providence, He makes my heart soft. Under affliction, the Gospel makes Christ altogether lovely to helpless, burdened, lost sinners. To hear Him say, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest...” is to see His face revealed in His grace (2 Cor. 3:18).

I did not start in the truth of Christ. I was not in the way of life until I was afflicted. I was ignorant of Him. I was ignorant of God’s word. I did not believe God or Christ or His word. My way was to go astray. I did not live by faith on Christ. How did the Lord turn me? Affliction is a necessary ingredient. Where was that rod applied? To my heart. What did that accomplish? It made my foolish heart believe His Son when He spoke from the Gospel, that Christ accomplished my salvation, that He was my all. This is the way of God with men. He plows the ground. The heart is made soft by affliction. The word declares Christ to that weary one, long-plagued, long-burdened, sorely helpless, needing to be rescued (Luke 15:14-20; 18:13). Then the glad news of the Gospel of Christ crucified is sent by the messengers of peace (Isa. 52:13)! God looks upon Him for me! He provided, He offered, He accepted Christ for sinners! And He afflicts those for whom Christ died and declares Christ to be the well-pleasing Surety of my soul. Salvation in Christ becomes my song. He is God. He is Man. He reigns on heaven’s throne with all authority and power and honor. He sovereignly calls and brings His own. It seems too good to be true, that God would look to His Son as my Substitute and answer His law in Christ’s answer of Himself. Until I was afflicted I went astray. But now I have believed His Son, I have believed the Gospel. This is God’s work of grace (John 6:29; Acts 18:27; Eph. 2:8-10)!

Rick Warta