When God Corrects You

“So David arose from the ground, washed and anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he went to his own house; and when he requested, they set food before him, and he ate.”  (2 Samuel 12:20)
 
                Let’s be honest – none of us really enjoys correction.  On one hand, sometimes we’re the ones being corrected.  We’ve all been punished as children, and even as adults we’ve been corrected by employers, friends, etc.  Correction is something we don’t enjoy because it often damages our pride and it can be quite painful.  On the other hand, sometimes we’re the ones doing the correcting.  If you’re a parent or a boss, you know what that’s all about.  Often, it’s harder to correct than to be corrected.

                If we’re children of God, then we’re going to be corrected by Him from time to time.  The author of Hebrews said, “whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives” (Heb. 12:6).  We discipline our children because we love them, not because we hate them.  So it is with God – He loving corrects us so that we can be further conformed to the image of His Son Jesus.  In those times that God chooses to correct us, we need to carefully consider how we’re going to respond.

                God corrected David severely for his sin with Bathsheba.  One of the ultimate punishments came in the death of his son.  For seven days, David prayed and fasted that God would not take his son’s life, but on the seventh day God took David’s son to heaven.  David responded by getting up, cleaning up, and going up to God’s house for worship.  He continued to press forward in his service to God.  Has God been correcting you?  If so, how will you respond?  May it be with worship and perseverance.