Read
It is good for me that I was afflicted,
that I might learn your statutes.
Psalm 119:71
Reflect
One of my previous jobs was as an associate editor of a magazine for an electric cooperative association. As part of that job, I was able to go to a lot of fairs and meetings where electric linemen demonstrated what happens when people come into contact with high-voltage electricity. You don’t quickly forget seeing a chicken or a hot dog cooked from the inside out by ungrounded electricity. The smell of the burned hot dog flesh (or whatever those things are made from) creates quickly respect for both electricity and for the people who work to make sure our power stays on. There really isn’t any amount of money I’d accept for doing that job, and I’m proud of the people who do it.
I recall a story about a lineman named Jack who was working on a new utility pole that was damp and green. It had recently rained, and the street was also still a little wet. Overhead was a high-voltage line carrying more than 50,000 volts of electricity. The lineman was carefully guiding the pole as it was being swung into place when suddenly he was jarred to the ground.
Stunned, Jack looked and saw that he’d been tackled by his friend, Ross. As he looked at Ross in confusion, his friend drew his attention to the top of the pole, which had only grazed the high-tension wire. If Jack had remained where he was, he would have been fried by the electric current. Ross’s quick action saved his friend’s life.
Sometimes God has to do the same thing with us. There are times that He will need to be firm with us so that we will learn from His ways and stay close to Him. Instead of bemoaning the discipline, we need to be thankful for and recognize the importance of the Lord’s intervention. It’s far better to be a little bruised by a tackle from the Lord than to be cooked from the inside by our foolishness and ignorance.
The next time you feel a little bit smitten by the Lord, offer Him a prayer of thanksgiving and ask Him to show you the lesson you need to learn.
Reflection copyright © 2024 Doug DeBolt and Charles Fulton.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
