His Heavy Hand

"Praise our God, all peoples,

let the sound of his praise be heard;

he has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping.

For you, God, tested us;

you refined us like silver.

You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs.

You let people ride over our heads;

we went through fire and water,

but you brought us to a place of abundance."

Psalm 66:8-12

I want the good stuff without the hard, the benefit without the responsibility.  I desire to be called His child, yet despair under His discipline where true growth occurs.  A legitimate daughter falls under the heavy yet loving hand of her Father at times.

Living as His child is hard.  He loves me as I am, but loves me too much to leave me that way.  He sometimes seems relentless in His loving discipline.  But this is what it means to be His; it all brings abundant goodness into my life.

Kept.  I remember learning about the autonomic nervous system in school where the bodily functions necessary for life are carried on without me even thinking about it.  This wondrous feature of the human body seemed amazing; my heart keeps beating without any effort or thought on my part.  Even while I sleep, I continue to take air into my lungs.  I often wondered how it could all keep going by itself.

I am a marvel of God's creation, and He is the One who keeps the body functioning.  It is by His hand that I take each breathe.  It is through His grace that I wake up each morning.  I am at His mercy.  But as His child, this is not a scary thing because I am His.  I am under His constant attention. With such an attentive Father as this caring for each and every need, I can rest easy.

As His child, I am kept in the palm of His hand.

Tested.  Silver is no good until it goes through a purification process where the precious metal is exposed to high heat in order to burn off any contamination.  Once it shines bright, reflecting the refiner's image, the process is over and only pure silver remains.

I am like this silver.  On my own, I am precious in God's eyes; fully loved and treasured as His daughter.  But as His child it is His desire that I mimic His Son.  I can't fake this, bring it about through concentrated effort, or become like Him in the blink of an eye.  Sanctification is a process in which I cooperate with the Holy Spirit as He transforms me into the image of His Son (2 Corinthians 3:18).  

This process can be painful as God exposes me to the fire, showing me what my faith is really made of (1 Peter 1:7).  It's not until I reach the end of myself when going through hard times when I realize how much I need Jesus.  It's not until I am forced to put my faith into action, doing what I so boldly proclaim, that I discover it's not as strong as I once thought.  It's not until I must put my money where my mouth is that I find my faith coming up short. This is when I learn to really lean on the Jesus I claim to love and follow. 

As His child, my faith is tested as I undergo trials and tribulation.

Burdened.  I always thought it would be great to live the rich life without a care in the world.  All my needs would be taken care of, I'd want for nothing.  Then I grew up and found that money brings more troubles than happiness.  True joy comes from following Christ.

As a child of God through faith in Jesus, however, my life is not easy and comfortable.  He lays heavy burdens upon me, loads which are too much for me to carry.  I am weak and unable to bear such pain and heartache.  Why does He do this?  I thought He loved me!

My Father in heaven has a love that is peculiar to the heart of man.  He does not shield me from trouble, but brings me through it so that I can see my own weakness and come to a greater appreciation for His power (2 Corinthians 4:7-9).  It is only by relying on Him that I can keep from being destroyed by the difficulty of life.  It is only through the strength of His love that I am able to avoid despair.  It is only in Christ that I am not ruined by the blows that come my way.

As His child, I am burdened heavily so that I can bring glory to Him as my strength.

What advantage do I have as God's child?  I am not shielded from difficulty, that's for sure.  But as His daughter, His eye is ever on me, keeping all systems working. He tests my faith in order to prove it's worth, and He burdens me heavily so that it is clear to all that God is the One who gets the glory for the great things that He has done in my life.  What is the result of His heavy hand upon my life?  What can I expect as His oft-disciplined child?  Abundance of life!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God through the trials.

When am I prone to despair, forgetting I am kept by the God of the universe?

How do I forget that part of being His child is to expect discipline that brings me closer to Him?