In one of George MacDonald's novels in its contemporary form, The Highlander’s Lost Soul, there is a little conversation in there between two people, Ian and Christina. It takes place in Scotland. Christina is very upset because of the way God seems to have brought certain circumstances about in her life and she doesn't know what to make of it. And a part of Ian’s counsel to her was this - you must ask him, that is, God. You must ask him to explain himself to you and not take for granted that he has done you a wrong because he has done what you do not like. Do you see what he is saying? You need to be teachable and open. You need to ask God to explain himself to you, and in the meantime not take it for granted that has done you a wrong because he has done what you do not like. It is that kind of attitude of teachableness and openness, of seeking God to give the light upon our circumstances, if he will. Sometimes we will seek God and we will want to have that insight as to what he is about in our adversity, and it will still be a fog. We won’t know the why. But sometimes he will grant the why and sometimes he will grant the light. Later we will look back and we will say, the Lord has shown me, now I see what he was about; I see how he was chastening me in that situation.
So, what are we to do? As we consider God's chastening or possible chastening, we should take this approach:
First of all, we should offer a soft heart to God. Walter Wilson was an old Bible teacher some years ago when I was a teenager. I remember him saying one time, evidently talking about the danger of a hard heart, he said we need to offer our hearts and ask God for soft hearts: ones that are sensitive, hearts that he can impress, ones that don't resist him. I would say, seek to offer a soft heart to God, to be instructed by his ways with us.
A second thing I would say is, in the midst of possibly chastening circumstances, pray that through it God will give you holiness, even if he does not give you insight. That is, that you would ask God as he takes you through this adversity, and you are not sure yet whether he is chastening you or not, but as he takes you through this adversity, ask him that he would cause it to produce godliness in you even if you don't get the answer you'd like to see. That will always please our heavenly Father; that we care more for godliness than for knowing why.
And then I think that it is well for us to pray a prayer that has already been written, namely by Jeremiah, the prophet. When he knew that suffering, and when he knew that even God's judgment was going to come upon the people of Judah, this is the way Jeremiah prayed:
Correct me, oh, Lord, but in just measure, not in your anger lest you bring me to nothing(Jeremiah 10:24). I think that that is a wonderful prayer for God's people, perplexed people who may be going through their distresses and they question,Is the Lord chastening me? This unexplainable kind of suffering, what am I to make of this?And how wonderful to be able to come to the Lord and say,Correct me, oh, Lord! I want to be corrected if I need to be corrected, but do it in just measure, not in your anger lest you bring me to nothing.The one thing that I think we can be thankful for is that even in the midst of that adversity, perhaps even in the midst of chastening adversity, we do have the assurance, as Jesus said—
Dale Ralph Davisthose whom I love, I chastenwe have a God who is there in his love.1
18 Consider from this day onward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. Since the day that the foundation of the LORD’s temple was laid, consider: