"Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word... It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees... I know, O LORD, that your laws are righteous, and in faithfulness you have afflicted me." -- Psalm 119:67, 71, 75

I was raised near the ocean. Every summer found me swimming and body surfing in the waves. The ocean was fun and I never had any fears. Then one summer came when all the fun was swallowed up in one frightful event. I almost drowned in an undertow and I forever learned to respect and revere the ocean. This was good.

Life can bring home some really great life-changing lessons. But we might note that these lessons are not just coincidences. The Lord faithfully afflicts his children with beneficial purpose. The hard moments in life are ultimately intended to lead us to a place of respect and reverence for the Lord and his Word. This is good.

When you are afflicted, how do you react? Do you look for the lessons that will draw you closer to the Lord and his Word? Or do you moan, groan and complain? When we remember that "...in faithfulness" the Lord afflicts us, we will say with the Psalmist... This is good.