August 28

The soul that is full loathes honey, but to a hungry soul, any bitter thing is sweet. — Prov 27:7 BSB

Afflictions, trials, and sorrows are indeed bitter things. They must be bitter, for God never intended them to be anything else. When He takes the rod, He means for it to be felt, and when He brings trouble upon His children, it is so that they may smart under it. Our text does not mean that these bitter things are sweet at the time they are endured—otherwise, they would not be bitter. Rather, it means that they become sweet afterward, as they bring spiritual nourishment to the soul.

I once read about Franklin’s expedition to the North Pole, where he and his companions wandered in the bitter cold without food. For weeks, their only sustenance was a bitter moss growing on the rocks. It was so unpalatable that it could barely be eaten, but it kept them alive. In the same way, the trials we endure, though bitter at the time, often nourish our souls in ways we cannot see in the moment.

What bitter things are God’s reproofs and rebukes in the conscience! And yet, who among us would choose to be without them? Let me ask you: would you prefer never to feel the frowns of God’s anger when you go astray? Would you wish to never experience the rebukes of His Spirit, leaving you to plunge headlong into sin? No, those who fear God would rather endure His rebukes than be left in reckless sin. These very rebukes, though bitter, become sweet—not in themselves, but because of the spiritual growth and the solid profit that eventually comes from them.