Ashton Oxenden

You are convinced, I hope, that God chastens purposely and lovingly. Affliction comes from Him; and He afflicts, not as a stern Judge, but as a Father and a Friend.

If I have made this clear to you, I thank God for it; for thus I have given you a sort of foundation-truth, on which your happiness and profit at this season greatly depends.

But now let us go a step further. You will naturally ask, Why does God afflict me? What is there in me that calls down His chastisement at this present time?

1. Perhaps you have hitherto been, like many others, unconcerned about your soul. You have gone on, from day to day, without any serious thought about the eternity which is before you. You have hitherto lived for the world, instead of living for God. I don’t say that you have lived in willful sin. You may not have done this. But still you have lived too much as if this world was your home.

If so, your present affliction is sent to arouse you. Its voice is a voice of mercy, saying, “Awake, you that sleep, and arise from the dead; and Christ shall give you light.” God sends it to alarm you, to disturb you, to quicken you. He seems to say to you, Are you prepared to meet your God? Have you pardon and peace in Christ your Savior? Is your soul saved?

Happy is it for you, if this affliction makes you consider, and if it leads you to think of the eternal world, which has been too much kept out of sight. Happy for you, if it makes you feel your great need of a Savior, and brings you as a penitent to His cross.

2. Or perhaps you are one who has at times some serious feelings. Eternity is something very solemn in your eyes. You feel yourself to be a sinner, and you know that your only hope of salvation is in Christ. But you have never given yourself heartily to Him. The world keeps you back. Or some secret sin, some little cherished sin it may be, stands like a strong barrier between you and God. Ah, you need decision. You want to break entirely with the world and sin, and to surrender your whole heart to the Savior. You are only an “almost Christian”. You are not far from the kingdom of God — and yet you are not in it. You are near the door — but have never entered in.

Do you not at once see then why God has afflicted you? It is to bring you nearer to Him. He would have you now see that a little religion will give you no comfort, and will bring no peace to your soul. It will not do for a sick-bed, and much less will it do for a dying hour.

There is a voice that whispers to you now, which calls to you with loving earnestness, “Why will you die? Why stand so far off, when you may draw near?” Jesus comes close to you as it were now, saying, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. I have knocked before by my Word, by my Spirit, by my Ministers. Now I knock still louder!” Oh say not, “Depart from me!” But rather say, “Abide with me, O my Savior. Pardon my past half-heartedness. Draw near to me, and bless me. Claim me as your own. Make me your forever.”

3. Or, it is possible you may be a Backslider. Once you felt deeply. You were in earnest. Jesus was your delight. Your chief interest was in holy things. You loved God’s Word and God’s House. Prayer was your sweetest employment. The company of God’s people was pleasant to you.

But something happened, which turned you from this blessed path. You grew somewhat cold. The lamp burnt dimly within you. The world regained its power over you. Your language now is:

What peaceful hours I then enjoyed!
How sweet their memory still!
But they have left an aching void,
The world can never fill.

God might have left you in this state. But no; He loved you too well to do so. He now chastens you — and is it not in mercy? He may deal roughly with you; and would you not deal so with your dearest child or friend, if you saw them running into danger? I am sure you would. And so the Lord is forced to deal with you. Though you have acted treacherously towards Him, and “turned aside” from Him “like a deceitful bow,” He still loves you, and will not let you perish, without sending after you His warning voice, and stretching out His arm to save you.

Oh make this illness a time for returning to Him whom you have forsaken. Think of God’s great love in sparing you. Think of His kindness in making this gracious effort to bring you to Himself. He seems to say, “Return unto me, for I have redeemed you. My arms are still open to receive you. I have blessings, which may yet be yours!”

4. Once more. You may be a true Child of God, one whom He greatly loves, a precious plant over which He is watching with peculiar care. He sees you serving Him, and walking with Him, but He wishes your service to be a still more happy service, and your walk to be a closer walk with Him.

The Refiner takes a piece of gold, and is not satisfied that it is in the ore. He takes means to make it more precious, by putting it into the furnace. Thus he purifies it, burns out every particle of dross that was in it. Yes, and when he takes it out of the fire, he rejoices to see it so pure and bright, that it reflects his own image.

And so it is with you, dear Christian Sufferer. God’s promise is, “I will turn my hand upon you, and purely purge away your dross.” “I will refine them, as silver is refined, and will try them, as gold is tried.” Even the very best of us — how short we come of what we ought to be, and what we might be! Even the best of us — what need we have to be thus trained and disciplined for Heaven!

No longer ask then, Why am I afflicted? But rather say, “Lord, let not my affliction be lost upon me! Accomplish in me your own most gracious purpose. May I come out of this furnace, as gold purified seven times in the fire.”