What matters most is not physical ease but learning God's decrees and staying spiritually awake.
Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word. It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.
An Unpopular Text
In today's church, you may never hear such texts quoted from many pulpits. Yet church history testifies that it has often been easier for the church to survive adversity than prosperity.
Church historians have long pondered whether Constantine's conversion was a blessing or a curse to the church, because peace and state sponsorship eventually led to spiritual slumber and apostasy.
Pressed To The Breast Of Christ
Let us be honest. When all around us is rosy and cozy, we hardly see the need for prayer. For the psalmist, what matters is not physical ease and comfort, but learning God's decrees and being spiritually alert.
Hudson Taylor said, “Let the pressure come, as long as it presses me to the breast of Christ.” With the spiritual slumber currently being experienced in the church, this should be a good, albeit unpopular, intercessory prayer.
