The Afflictions (Opportunities) of the Righteous

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all” Psalm 34:19.

I think one reason a righteous person has many afflictions is because the Lord wants to teach us to “walk by faith, not by sight”. Romans 1:17 tells us “the righteous shall live by faith.” And “without faith it is impossible to please God” Hebrews 11:6.

To read all of Psalm 34, click here.

Faith is the currency of heaven, and the only way we’re going to learn it is by going through things that seem to contradict the truth. And then we need to make a choice. Will we choose to believe the message our circumstances are conveying, or the message of God’s word?

When we’re going through some affliction, our circumstances scream in our ear: “Your life is a mess!” “God hates you!” But God’s word says “the Lord delivers the righteous out of all their afflictions”, we are “the apple of His eye”(Deuteronomy 32:10 and others).

So, we are faced with a decision. Are we going to believe God’s word despite how things look and feel?

This is how the Lord builds faith in us. We need to go through things that seem to convey the message that God’s word isn’t true. And we need to believe it anyway. That’s how the Lord teaches us to walk by faith and not by sight.

An Embarrassing Personal Example

Here’s an embarrassing personal example. The year was 2005. I had been a Christian for years by this time. In fact, my faith was stronger and more vibrant than ever. But, one day, out of the clear blue, I received a letter from the Department of Human Services.

This was in April, three weeks before I was set to graduate from nursing school. The letter stated that I would not be able to finish the program, or be a nurse, because I had failed a background study.

Yes, I’ll be the first to admit, I have a few skeletons in my closet from bad behavior in my past. The thing is, I had always passed the background checks needed to begin and progress through the nursing program before. But now, suddenly, the rules at the Department of Human Services had changed.

After spending thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours on the program, I was disqualified from the direct care that is part and parcel to being a nurse. And this was literally less than a month before I was supposed to graduate.

But the point is, I had a choice to make in that situation. I could believe what my circumstances seemed to be saying: “Your life is going nowhere- How could God let this happen if He loves you?”

Or I could believe His Word that says, “many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all” Psalm 34:19.

Despite The Circumstances

I chose to believe His Word, despite the circumstances. It ended up being a great opportunity to learn to walk by faith and not by sight. I believe the Lord accomplished His purpose in the trial.

My circumstances were screaming that either God doesn’t really love me, or He doesn’t involve Himself in the affairs of people. But I clung to God’s Word that says He does love me and I’m the apple of His eye.

Not that it was easy, of course. My pastor had an encouraging prophetic word for me out of Revelation 3:18 “when God opens a door, no man can shut it”.

This helped me to hang on to my faith. The more our circumstances seem to oppose the Truth, the more faith it builds in us when we choose to believe it. And the more faith it reveals that we have.

As it turned out, it wasn’t easy to have that ruling reconsidered. I had to write the DHS a letter about why I thought the disqualification should be set aside.

I also had my pastor and one of my nursing instructors write letters of recommendation. And then I had to wait for a decision. . . for months. In the end, it was overturned.

I was able to receive my degree, sit for the licensing exam and become a nurse. I went on to get bachelor’s and master’s Degrees in nursing.

Over the past 16 years, I have worked as a nursing instructor, in advanced practice. And, yes even in the direct care at the bedside I was disqualified from.

Which Message Will You Believe?

The Lord was faithful to His Word. He loves the opportunity to prove Himself faithful. But, in order to do that, we must choose to believe the message of His Word rather the message of our circumstances.

I learned from firsthand experience once again that “many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all” Psalm 34:19.

For more thoughts on this topic see How Do All Things Work together for Good?

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