Appointment of Affliction

Today at Calvary Chapel Sydney one topic of discussed in the sermon was how God appointed Christians to affliction and also to endure with joy.  To believers who faced persecution and suffered for the sake of Christ, Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13, "And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, ¹³ so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.  God had constructive and redemptive benefits for the appointment with affliction the Thessalonians and all Christians, to the end God would establish our hearts blameless in holiness.  We might not prefer or enjoy the process, but we cannot fault God or His results.

When I think of dentist appointments, they are more of a "should" or "have to" rather than I "want to."  The only time I would welcome or gladly anticipate a dentist appointment is when I experiencing terrible pain and am desperate for relief.  When it comes to affliction God appoints for us, we typically do not see our need for it or the benefit it will provide.  By faith in God we are enabled to trust Him in the midst of pain, knowing He will bring good out of the trial in His miraculous, glorious way.  His intent is for us to rejoice in Him and grow in love of God and others--especially when our flesh would rather avoid or escape from our circumstances.  His desire is to bring us to a place of contentment and surrender in Him that we are willing to face and joyfully endure every trial He allows us to face.

During a mission trip in Cambodia, I observed an inconsolable young boy who had been brought to a dental clinic.  Fearful and crying, this little lad could not be calmed by his pleading family or the dentist who was kind and gentle.  The family who brought him said he often cried himself to sleep because of pain from decaying teeth that needed extraction.  Simply administering the anaesthetic proved a difficult chore, and after much consoling (and likely threatening!) from the family, the task of numbing the area was done.  But whenever the dentist drew close the boy would move violently and made dental work impossible.  Because the boy was unwilling, ultimately the dentist declined to attempt the procedure.  I was surprised how quickly the demeanor of the boy changed.  He was pleased the whole operation was over and smiled for the first time, but there was one huge problem:  his decaying teeth had not been addressed.  The pain he would face later when the anaesthetic wore off would be a constant reminder of the reason for being seen by a dentist!

How many times have we been like that dear little boy, suffering from fear and pain during a divine appointment with affliction without comprehending God's purpose behind it?  It would be a shame that our unwillingness to submit our lives before the LORD in faith would deprive ourselves of blessings God has in store for us.  God desires our trust of Him would grow and our love would abound to all as we choose to rejoice in our Saviour in every season of life.  In this world there are plenty of opportunities to give place to fear, bitterness or worry, but we are called to be casting our cares upon the LORD Jesus who cares for us.  As our hearts increase in love God is able to establish our hearts "blameless in holiness," and our LORD Jesus Christ is at the door.  If we value teeth that are straight and free of decay at great monetary cost and physical discomfort, we ought to desire our love to increase and abound--even if an appointment with affliction is God's means to achieve this.