And I heard ‘Many are the afflictions of the righteous: But the LORD delivereth him out of them all.’
Then I said to myself, this is a popular verse in the scriptures, and I went to search it out on Google. It turns out that this verse is from the book of Psalms, and I quote ‘Psalms 34:19-22 King James Version (KJV) Many are the afflictions of the righteous: But the LORD delivereth him out of them all. He keepeth all his bones: Not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked: And they that hate the righteous shall be desolate.
What does many are the affliction of the righteous mean?
What Does ‘Many Are the Afflictions of the Righteous’ Mean? It means there is hope even in suffering. Affliction is “a state of pain, distress, grief or misery; a cause of mental or bodily pain, as sickness, loss, calamity, or persecution.” King David in the Bible was familiar with trying times and difficult circumstances, but God helped him every time to defeat All his enemies.
The next question that comes to mind is why God would allow the Righteous to be afflicted.
Why does God allow the righteous to suffer?
From my Google research, I learned that ‘God Sends Trials to Test Righteous People’s Faith in Him’.
Some people try to say that if you suffer, it’s because you have sinned and angered God. God does not punish us through our trials. He sends us those trials to test and deepen our relationship and faith in Him. Job says, “Put him to test every moment” (Job 7:18).
My Google research also speaks of the spiritual meaning of affliction. Here is what I learned about spiritual affliction.
What is the spiritual meaning of affliction?
Spiritual affliction is an extreme form of suffering which, according to Weil (1942b: 439) also transcends suffering: it is “something apart, unique and irreducible;” an “uprooting of life, a kind of a death, which is anonymous, indifferent, and blind.,
An Article by Vaneetha Rendall Risner titled ‘Delivered By Affliction’ succinctly captures the benefits of afflictions to humans. According to her ‘No one wants to suffer. We may welcome small trials, counting them joy because of what they will do in us, but no one invites life-altering pain. No one wants to lie awake with a pit in their stomach, agonizing over where a disastrous situation is headed. No one wants to experience a loss so deep that we wonder how to even go on.
She goes on to say, ‘While we understand that rain falls into everyone’s life, no one wants a deluge. We don’t pray for it. We don’t seek it. We don’t welcome it. All we can think about is relief. Which is what we cry out to God for. Reprieve. Rescue. Deliverance.
Deliverance Comes by Affliction
But in Job, Vaneetha says we discover a surprising truth: sometimes deliverance comes by affliction. ‘He delivers the afflicted by their affliction and opens their ear by adversity. (Job 36:15)’.
She further goes on to postulate that ‘To be delivered by affliction, what we are being delivered from must be worse than the affliction itself. Since affliction is unpleasant at best and crushing at worst, what we are being delivered from must be a great evil. Or to say it another way, the affliction must be producing something that is far more precious than immediate relief.’
So, what does affliction deliver us from, and what is more precious than relief from our deep pain?
Affliction delivers us from indifference.
Prophet Isaiah captures this in Isaiah 30:20–21, ‘Though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.’
Listening to God, recognizing his voice, and heeding it above the competing voices around us will radically transform us. It will give us supernatural wisdom and clear direction; it will ultimately reshape who we are.
Before Affliction, I went Astray.
The Psalmist points out, “Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I keep your word” (Psalm 119:67), and “It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes” (Psalm 119:71). Affliction draws us to the things of God because we realize the things of this world are broken. Nothing is as it should be, sin has marred everything, and all creation is groaning under the weight of sin.
Pain spurs us to search for meaning and hope beyond our present circumstances, which can open our eyes to the power and beauty of the word. This word can reframe our world, bringing light to our eyes, opening our ears, and feeding our souls. God’s word and his presence become sweeter in our suffering as we taste and see for ourselves his goodness and grace.
Affliction Delivers from Sin
Affliction makes us aware of our sins by bringing our buried struggles to the surface. When we are satisfied and self-sufficient, we won’t see the hidden pride in our abilities. But when life falls apart and we can’t depend on ourselves anymore, we learn to cling to God. Paul underscores this dynamic through the story of his suffering: “We were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:8–9).
When despair sets in and we feel burdened beyond ourselves, reliance on God takes on a new meaning. And when he has rescued us from a horrifying situation, we learn to trust him more in the next trial. After we have seen for ourselves that our God — who owns the cattle on a thousand hills, who spoke the world into existence, and who raises the dead — is able to deliver us from any situation, we shift our focus from relying on our abilities to relying on him.
Affliction Delivers from Loving the World
Affliction makes us long for heaven because we become increasingly aware that this world is not our home. When our dreams are broken, it’s harder to be like Demas, in love with the present world (2 Timothy 4:10), and it becomes easier to heed John’s admonition not to love the world or the things in it (1 John 2:15). Our suffering will make heaven even more glorious for us and will increase our eternal joy as we glimpse what God accomplished through it.
My Experience
In my experience, God is so encouraging to me. His words of encouragement spurred me on to go through the different afflictions that I encountered on my path. My entire life was falling apart. But continuously, daily, God in His infinite mercies give me words, courage, and the strength to push on. I would hear the voice of God say, ‘Well done my daughter… I am proud of you… We are almost there’.
And my question was ‘there’ meaning what My Lord? And the voice of God says your transformation. You are being transformed into the creation I created you to be. In a short while, you will see the reward and you will shout for Joy and Praise me for a 360-degree transformation of your life and circumstances.
I believe God and I trust Him, and I know for sure, that I will testify of God’s Goodness, His Mercy, and His Love for me when I see the Finished Product of the Transformed Creature, He created me to be.
Conclusion
I conclude my write-up by encouraging all who read this article to see the learnings from afflictions as gifts from God. Vaneetha concludes her article by saying:
‘Thankfully, God has life-giving purposes in affliction as we turn to him. In the hands of our loving God, affliction rescues his people from evil. God uses affliction to deliver us, deepen our faith, drive us to him, and direct our paths. While being delivered from affliction is a great mercy, being delivered by affliction is a greater one. It makes us more aware of God’s voice, increases our reliance on him, and prepares us for heaven and a weight of glory beyond all comparison.
Praise God Almighty, Praise Our Lord Jesus Christ, Praise The Holy Ghost.
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