Grace And Discipline
Turn us again to yourself, O God. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved… how long will you be angry with our prayers?
- King David, Psalm 80:3-4 (NLT)
"God whispers to us in pleasure… God shouts to us in pain."
- C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain
If you're like me, your relationship with Jesus tends to run hot or cold, close or distant, depending on the level of practical sin in your life at the time.
So, let me give you a true and timeless Truth that can keep you feeling close to Jesus even when your sin is keeping you feeling distant from Jesus. Here it is:
God is generous with His grace and thorough with His discipline – not to pay you back… but to bring you back: to Himself. Now I'll explain.
Scholars believe that the historical context of Psalm 80 is the Fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel to Assyria in 722 BC. What the Ukrainians have suffered today at the hands of President Vladimir Putin, the Israelites suffered then at the hands of King Tiglath-Pileser III. Even though this Assyrian King invaded and defeated Israel, the Psalmist believes it was the sin, rebellion, and disobedience of God's people who brought this destruction down upon themselves. They had set up false idols and were practicing pagan rituals throughout the land. And yet, even though their sin created their own desperation, the Psalmist cries out to God to "Make His face shine down upon them." (v.3) Three times, he pleads with God… not to pay them back, but to bring them back… by shining down His grace and His mercy upon them. Why? Because David knows that God listens to the cry of desperate people even when their sin created their own desperate situation. He knows God is generous in His grace!
But God is also thorough in His discipline!
Right after asking God "to make His Face shine down upon them," David is asking God, "How long will you be angry with our prayers? You have fed us with sorrow and made us drink tears by the bucketful." (v.4). WOW! The Psalmist recognizes that while God will be generous with His grace to us… He will also… at the same time… be thorough in His discipline with us. Not to pay us back. But to bring us back… to Himself!
Let me tell you a story:
When I was little, my dad used a big silver spoon to spank me when I was bad… which happened to be quite often… I'm sure you're surprised. (smile). And I'm glad he did. And some of you may have been disciplined with a flat hand to the behind… and you're probably glad you were. And some of you never got disciplined… and the rest of us all wish you did. Ha! Just kidding…. Please don't send me any emails! But my dad believed that one of the best things you can do is associate bad behavior and pain. Bad behavior leads to pain. Rebellion, sin, disobedience to God, leads to pain… and the sooner we learn that the better!
Now here's the deal! As soon as I saw Dad pull out that spoon… I would declare that I was a new man! I would repent, "Dad, I'll never do that again! I have learned my lesson! I take it all back! I'm sorry...I 'll eat the broccoli. Heck, I'll eat my sister's broccoli. Dad, just the sight of the spoon is enough! There's no need for pain! Just don't spank me!" And you know what my dad would do? He'd spank me! Ha!
Because my dad knew… and God knows that sometimes we need discipline to remind us in spades that bad behavior leads to pain.
The lesson is this: If, today, you're walking through a storm that you know your behavior created, and you’re feeling distant from God… Remember… Jesus loves you… even in your sin….
That He is generous in His grace to you and thorough in His discipline with you. Not to pay you back. But to bring you back… to Himself!
AMEN.
Pastor Harry
