Troubles are Good?
Psalm 119:71-72 (AMP) It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statues. The law from Your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
There aren't many times when I am going through a trial and think to myself, "this is so good!" I will say that I have grown tremendously as a Christian over the last 14 years, but when something painful happens to me, the first thought and focus tends to be frustration and anger. I am careful not to react based on my feelings, since they are unreliable and change by the hour, but I'm still working on having that first gut reaction to a bad situation be one of joy and gladness.
Of course we learn from everything in life, the good, the bad and the ugly, but oh how nice it would be to just learn from good and only have good happen. Well, that will eventually happen, when we are with Jesus in Heaven, but while we are on this sin-filled earth, we have a lot of work to do! We can take so much from those 2 verses. It's saying that your troubles have turned out for the best because you are learning God's ways. You are humbling yourself and learning that it is necessary to lean on God's understanding and not your own when trouble comes. The words from scripture are worth far more than gold and silver. Riches cannot outlast God's infinite wisdom. Even if you had all the money in the world, that does not bring you peace. If anything, it probably brings more enemies. Peace comes from God, if anything comes before Him, you will be certain to lose your peace and be lost in your troublesome circumstances. Our goal should be to live everyday with an inner peace and joy that no matter what happens, God is on our side and He is in control. When we do all we know to do in the natural, He will come through on every promise. Obedience and a willing heart are key. How do you react when trouble comes? Selah.
Isaiah 55:8 (NLT) “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine."
