“Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.” (Psalms 34:19 KJV)
Many are the afflictions? As in grief, distress, and pain? Is that not exactly what we are trying to avoid? The natural manager inside us wants to do everything possible to avoid afflictions. If we only had more sense. If we only had more wisdom. If only our circumstances can improve. What really stings about this is that these are afflictions of the righteous. Not afflictions of the sinful, the glutton, the lazy, or the foolish. I am sure they have many too. But we want to be affliction free. No grief, no distress, and no pain.
It is for the very desire of an affliction free life that we become better managers. We push the idea of afflictions away with such force that we never see the Lord’s hand as the deliverer. If we can afflict ourselves with good sense and strict discipline then we can get ourselves into a really good jam before we ever learn to see how His hand is the only one capable of rescue. The goal may not be to eliminate afflictions. It may be to let them teach us to listen to His voice.
“He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.” (Psalms 34:20 KJV)