I Asked the Lord that I Might Grow

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

~Hebrews 12: 7-11

One of my favorite songs out of the mix I sent out yesterday was I Ask the Lord that Might Grow - I definitely would encourage you to take another listen to it! The lyrics are awesome: 

I asked the Lord that I might grow,

In faith and love and every grace,

And more of His salvation know,

And seek more earnestly His face.

It was He who taught me thus to pray,

And He I trust has answered prayer.

But it has been in such a way,

As almost drove me to despair.

I hoped that in some favored hour,

At once He’d answer my request.

And by His love’s constraining power,

Subdue my sins and give me rest.

Instead of this, He made me feel,

The hidden evils of my heart.

And let the angry powers of hell,

Assault my soul in every part.

Yes, more with His own hand,

He seemed, Intent to aggravate my woe.

Crossed all the fair designs I schemed,

Blasted my gourds, and laid me low.

“Lord, why is this?” I trembling cried.

Will You pursue Your worm to death?”

“This is the way” the Lord replied,

“I answer prayer for grace and strength.”

“These inward trials I employ,

From self, and pride, to set you free;

And break your schemes of earthly joy,

That you may find thy all in Me.”

I don't know about you, but this is something I completely related to. Often I find that when I ask the Lord to help me grow in Him, He ends up using means much different (and perhaps always not so pleasant!) as what I had initially envisioned. I absolutely love what both Hebrews 12 and 2 Corinthians 12 have to say about this. Although discipline is never the most fun thing in the entire world, it kind of mind boggling that someone as powerful as the Lord of the entire universe would find me worthwhile enough to correct to help me become like Him. Additionally, these disciplines help us realize the end of our own strength and the immense power of the Lord. Ultimately, to bring it back to something I mentioned yesterday, the more we realize our own insufficiencies, the more we realize the true glory of the Lord. How amazing and lucky are we to have a God that can transform such painful disciplines into something so beautiful and glorious?

Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 

~2 Corinthians 12:7-10