Psalm 119:65-72

Psalm 119:65-72 
English Standard Version (ESV)

 How many people out there have ever said that it was good that they were afflicted?  I know I'm not raising my hand on that one -- when I feel afflicted, I just want the pain to stop, and when I look back on it, I usually just wish there was another way to learn that lesson.  I understand that there are benefits of the trials of life, and that they build character and teach us things, but I'd much rather learn those things in other ways.
  Then again, without the crucifixion, we don't get the resurrection.  Without the knowledge of how lost we are, we don't have a full grasp of the power of God's grace. 
  I don't know what God is doing in your life.  I'm often unsure of what God is doing in my life.  In the dark nights, I wish I better understood where God was and how God was moving and what the Spirit was preparing me for.  Sometimes I just stare into the darkness and wonder why I can't see any light.  But I also know that God keeps all God's promises, and that one of those promises is to never leave nor forsake us, and also that God has promised to go ahead of us and to prepare a place for us.  So some days, I cling to that promise with all of my heart, hoping that these promises are true for me.  I believe they are true for each of us, that God walks with us in the valley of the shadow of death, and that we learn of God's grace and power and God leads us through adversity to deliver us into eternal life.