March 15

Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him. — Prov 22:15 BSB

We profess to believe in an Almighty, All-present, All-seeing God. We would be deeply offended if someone accused us of not believing that God sees everything, is everywhere present, or is an Almighty Jehovah. We would almost think they were calling us atheists. Yet, in practice, we often prove ourselves to be practical atheists. For instance, we say we believe that God sees everything, but we act as if He sees nothing, making plans and schemes as if He were unaware. We claim to believe that God can do everything, yet we constantly carve out our own contrivances and schemes, as if God were like the idols of the heathen—watching passively without intervening. We profess to believe that God is always present to help us in every difficulty and trial, yet when we face those challenges, we act as though there is no omnipresent God who knows our situation and can deliver us from it.

Thus, God is often forced to thrust us into trials and afflictions because we are so blind to His power and presence. He puts us in places of difficulty and hardship to show us what kind of God we have—a God who can deliver us when no one else can.

This is one reason the Lord sometimes plunges His people deeply into a sense of their sin: to reveal the greatness of His salvation, through the person, blood, and righteousness of Jesus Christ. Likewise, He allows them to walk through severe temptations to demonstrate what a wonder-working God He is in delivering them.

He often allows us to be harassed and plagued so that we might not live as though there were no God to go to, no Almighty Friend to consult, and no compassionate Jesus to rest our weary heads upon. Through these experiences, we learn lessons of grace and truth that we would never grasp otherwise. God is compelled to force us into believing what we claim to believe.

Such is the work He must do with us. We are such poor students, so dull in understanding. To teach us who He is and what a merciful and compassionate High Priest we have, He often handles us roughly and uses His rod repeatedly. This is because He sees that “foolishness is bound up in the hearts” of His children, and only the “rod of correction” will drive it far from them.