Read Psalm 94:10-15. 10He who teaches man knowledge—11the Lord—knows the thoughts of man, that they are but a breath. 12Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O Lord, and whom you teach out of your law, 13to give him rest from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked. 14For the Lord will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage; 15for justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it.
I think we can all agree that none of us looks forward to, or longs for, the discipline of the Lord. And yet the psalmist makes a bold statement that the person who experiences the Lord’s discipline is blessed, or happy. Only by faith can we get to this place where the psalmist found himself. Faith in the person of Christ and faith in the promises of Christ.
What the New Covenant adds to our understanding of God’s discipline is our conformity to Christ as the outcome (Rom. 8:28-29). In God’s discipline we can trust the person of God as the source of all things, and the person of Christ as the goal of all things. The discipline itself is not the blessing. Christlikeness is.
Faith in the person of God then allows us to place our faith in the promises of God. How did the psalmist endure God’s discipline? He knew that discipline was not abandonment, it was proof of the promise – the Lord will not forsake us; he will not abandon his heritage. So too in Christ we are never abandoned. How do we know? The cross. God abandoned his Son to the cross so that he would never have to abandon us.
Christian, let me assure you, God’s discipline is present in your life. If he loves you, and he does, he is chastening you. If he wants you to be like Jesus, and he does, he is maturing you through suffering. How are you responding? In faith, like the psalmist? Can you see the person and the promises?
To live is Christ is to be blessed within the discipline of God, knowing that all his ways lead to our conformity to the character of Christ.
You: Can you identify where God is disciplining you right now?
You in Christ: How does union with Christ allow us to always trust God even in times of discipline?
Christ in you: How does Jesus want your current trial to change you into his likeness?
Pray: Jesus, I don’t love your discipline, but I love you. Chasten me to change me. Let me find blessed happiness in becoming like you. Amen.
To Live is Christ 