I am sure when you hear the word affliction your mind thinks of words like trials, suffering, and pain. Not many people link this negative word with blessings but the more I study the Scriptures the more I am convinced that afflictions and blessings are often very interconnected.
As I re-read (Psalm 119) I noticed that three times the psalmist uses the word afflicted, and in all three cases it is in a very positive way. These three verses are:
(Psalm 119:67): “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word.”
(Psalm 119:71): “It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.”
(Psalm 119:75): “I know, Lord, that your laws are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.”
Several other verses can be cited to drive home this point that when trials, sufferings, and afflictions come our way that we should look at these situations as opportunities to be blessed. For example, consider the following verses:
(James 1:2): “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds.”
(Romans 8:18): “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”
(Acts 5:41): “The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.”
(Matthew 5:11-12): “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
(2 Corinthians 4:17): “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”
And it is this last verse, (2 Corinthians 4:17), that I believe is the key to understanding why present afflictions are the pathway to amazing future blessings, often in the short run, but definitely in the long run.
In the short run, as we saw from (James 1:2), we get immediate joy whenever we do something for the sake of the Lord; even if it is comingled with present suffering. There is just something joyous in knowing that pleasing Jesus brings with it a joy that can’t be received in any other way! Doing God’s will, which often is accompanied by persecution, allows one also to sleep well at night knowing again, that we are pleasing the Creator of the universe.
But the long-term blessings of enduring affliction for the sake of the gospel are truly amazing. I love how Arthur W. Pink puts it: “Afflictions are light when compared with what we really deserve. They are light when compared with the sufferings of the Lord Jesus. But perhaps their real lightness is best seen by comparing them with the weight of glory which is awaiting us.”1
As I shared above in (2 Corinthians 4:17): “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,” just imagine what an eternal weight of glory must be! As a child of God, we are promised incredible rewards in heaven and I believe the more we do God’s will, the greater the rewards we will accumulate above.
Short-term joy and long-term incredible rewards and blessings are promised to us when we endure the light and momentary afflictions that all Christians can expect, as we obey our heavenly Father.
And remember that the Christian life is not about being comfortable, but it is training grounds for eternity. No one ever said the Christian life would be easy but the short-term rewards of joy and peace and the long-term blessings of eternal life and an eternal weight of glory being deposited into our heavenly bank account, are simply out of this world. So, rejoice in afflictions and watch the benefits accrue!
1 Quote by Arthur W. Pink: “Afflictions are light when compared with what w…” (goodreads.com)