Daily Devotional for Saturday, October 17
Learning from Afflictions
“Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word,” Psalm 119:67.
There is a quiet honesty in these words that speaks to every believer’s heart. The psalmist does not hide the fact that his afflictions taught him something he might not have learned in comfort. He admits that before trouble came, he had wandered. But in the furnace of suffering, he discovered both correction and closeness with God.
Pain has a way of bringing clarity. When life is easy, we may grow careless or self-reliant. Yet, when affliction visits, it strips away illusion and brings us to the feet of the Lord. The psalmist learned that God’s dealings are always good—not always pleasant, but always purposeful. “Thou hast dealt well with thy servant, O Lord” (verse 65). That is the testimony of a heart that has come to see divine goodness even in discipline.
It is through trials that Scripture becomes more than words on a page; it becomes life and strength. Verse 71 says, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.” Only someone who has walked through pain and come out with faith intact can speak with such wisdom. The affliction became his teacher, and the lesson was obedience and trust.
God never wastes our suffering. What He allows, He redeems. Through every difficulty, He invites us to know Him more deeply and to treasure His Word more fully.
Thought For Today
When you face affliction, do not rush to escape it—ask God what He wants to teach you through it. The lessons learned in pain often become the foundation of your faith. In time, you will look back and say with the psalmist, “Thou hast dealt well with thy servant, O Lord” (Psalm 119:65).
Steven Ridings