“31For the Lord will not cast off forever, 32but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; 33for he does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men.” – Lamentations 3:31-33 (ESV)
When I read the above verses I get a bit confused and find it difficult to believe that God would “cause grief”. It took a bit of additional reading for me to more fully understand. You see, God allows grief and therefore it is misunderstood to mean that He causes it.
God loves me unconditionally and would not harm me. He allows for the adversity in my life, and calls on me to push through and continue to have my eyes and actions on Him. When I am disobedient, I am subject to discipline from my heavenly Father. That discipline comes from His love and is full of “compassion”.
It is up to me to repent of the sins I know and those I am not aware of in order to realize the “abundance of His steadfast love”. God “does not afflict from his heart. God’s first instinct is not to punish. He does so only when his patience with sinners does not lead to their repentance.” (ESV Commentary)
Do you feel as though God is punishing you? Have you repented of the sins you know and don’t know? Do you believe that you will realize the abundance of God’s steadfast love through your repentance?
Trevor's Thoughts 