Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.   John 13:7

God’s word teaches that a father’s duty is to bring up his children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. 

A loving father will observe his child carefully and, by God’s grace, relentlessly weed out anything in the child’s heart that should not be there.  He is not obligated to explain all his actions to the child.  I am thankful I have a husband who takes the responsibilities of fatherhood seriously.

The child’s duty is to trust and obey the father who loves him, knowing from past experience his daddy has his best interest in mind.  Sometimes the process is painful for all involved.  But the father does what is necessary because he loves his child.

Sometimes, the business of growing in the Lord, of maturing and becoming more Christlike, is a painful and messy ordeal.  Our heavenly Father may gently teach us all our life.  But then, the time comes – for all of us – when a more drastic tool, a more severe method is what is needed.  You must use the right tool for the job or you will not get the results you want.

Our Father loves us and wants us to be in close fellowship with Him. 

He wants us to become more like His son, Jesus.  This requires major Renovation.  Transformation.  Sanctification.  If we refrain from fighting Him, trials and affliction bring us closer to God and help mold us into His image. Here is an illustration:

My husband is in the business of restoring log homes.  Sometimes, the work that is necessary for getting a house into shape can become rather . . . catastrophic.

But, in order to repair and preserve the house, you must get down to clean, sound wood.  You must search out and destroy all the weak, rotted, crumbling wood wherever you find it.

You must do whatever is necessary to save the house.  You cannot simply cover up the deterioration with new stain and hope for the best.

Sometimes the process is brutal.

Occasionally, the homeowner will get nervous at the sight of so much apparently senseless destruction.  To them, it appears Manfred is destroying their home.

If they could just relax and trust the expert, the whole process would be much less stressful for them.

Trusting the Expert is hard sometimes.

But, I understand.

God Meant It Unto Good – Streams in the Desert, June 10

Lessons From Job Part 1: ‘Tried by Fire’ by A.W. Pink