Isa
38:17a (ESV) Behold, it was for my welfare
that I
had great bitterness; …
NOTE: Hezekiah's
words are a hard thing to say--I know, I have been there. No one likes to
suffer. No one enjoys that "pit-in-the-stomach" feeling that lingers.
We all want to avoid pain. None of us embrace pain really, even if Philippians
or James say to. Their exhortations are meant to carry us through and help us
to see the true value of pain. I seriously doubt anyone says: "boy, I
can't wait for the next painful suffering to come upon me." But, we all
can look back on pain and most of us can say, "you know, that was for my
good--I didn't like it, but it was for my good." That is what Hezekiah is
saying. He doesn't really explain why it was for his welfare. For most people,
pain and suffering helps us to focus on what really is important to life. It is
at those points that we shed the unimportant things that hinder us. We wonder
how they caught our attention in the first place, they seem so common and
useless in retrospect. What is most important? Pain helps us to see it. But it
would be REALLY nice, to figure it out before we have to go through what
Hezekiah calls "great bitterness." It might be possible to forego
this latter step, but it requires, not only a deep and abiding relationship
with God, but even more importantly, obedience to the issues he raises in our
life. Maybe it won't stop all pain and suffering, I would agree that is true,
but I do believe it will reduce some.
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