I will respond to Your “hurtings” with grace and, yes, gratitude. Too often I look upon God as the mender of broken hearts and the binder-up of our wounds. He does this, thank God. But He also breaks hearts and causes wounds.
Can I forget how Jacob went away limping from wrestling with the Lord (Genesis 32:30–31)? Do I limp where God has touched me? Even His wounds were inflicted for my sake, not His. He needed no correction or discipline, but I needed an infinite amount, so much that it was impossible for me to measure up. So Jesus stood in for me and bore the wounds that I should have borne.
In the meantime, God hurts, wounds, and stings until He lays bare the very inmost secrets of our hearts, challenging us to a stronger, fiercer love for Him.
When Jesus asked Peter, “Lovest thou me?” He hurt him. Peter was “grieved” over that question (John 21:17). Has the Lord ever grieved me? If I have never experienced His grieving, correcting, rebuking, or chastening, I know very little of Him.
We have been lulled to sleep on easy believism and cheap grace. It is so easy to mentally accept certain doctrines without allowing them to filter down into the daily living of life. God wants crucified men, not merely men who believe in the cross. He looks longingly for servants who say, “I love [You], … I will not go out free” (Exodus 21:5, KJV).
Lord, are my ears pierced, my heart broken? Do I limp because of my thigh? The wounds of the Christian are God’s applause for a life well lived. Are You applauding me, Lord?
“For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives” (Hebrews 12:6).
Daily with the King 