You have afflicted me – Thomas Brooks

“I know, O Lord, that Your laws are righteous, and in faithfulness You have afflicted me.” Psalm 119:75

“Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey Your word.” Psalm 119:67

God’s corrections are our instructions,
His lashes are our lessons,
His scourges are our schoolmasters,
His chastisements are our admonishments.

By afflictions, troubles, distresses and dangers the Lord teaches His people to look upon sin as the most loathsome thing in the world; and to look upon holiness as the most lovely thing in the world. Sin is never so bitter, and holiness is never so sweet as when our troubles are greatest and our dangers highest.

By affliction, the Lord teaches His people to sit loose from this world, and to be prepared for eternity.

By affliction, God shows His people the vanity, vexation, emptiness, weakness, and nothingness of all created things; and the choiceness, preciousness and sweetness of communion with Himself.

It has been the lot and portion of God’s dearest children, to be exercised with very great and grievous afflictions; in order . . .
to the discovery of sin,
to the embittering of sin,
to the preventing of sin,
to the purging away of sin; and
to the discovery of grace,
to the trial of grace,
to the exercise of grace,
to the increase of grace; and
to the weaning of them from this world; and
to the ripening of them for heaven; and
to the completing of their conformity to Christ,
the captain of their salvation, “who was made perfect through sufferings,” Hebrews 2:10; and to work in them more pity and compassion to those who are in misery, and who sigh and groan under their Egyptian taskmasters.