In Proverbs chapter three, verses eleven through twelve, God allows us to pass through trials and difficulties to conform us more perfectly to His holiness and His will for our lives, as in Job five, verse seventeen. The New Testament uses these verses to offer encouragement to believers who are enduring pain and suffering. In Hebrews twelve, verse five mentions the chastening of the Lord. “And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him.” Note several facts about God’s discipline of believers and the hardships and troubles He allows us to suffer.
They are a sign that we are God’s children and an assurance of His love and concern for us. The Lord’s discipline has two purposes: that believers might not receive condemnation by the world and that we might share God’s holiness and continue to live sanctified lives.
There are two possible consequences of the Lord’s discipline. We may endure the hardships God leads us through, submit to God’s will, and remain faithful. By doing this, believers will continue to live as God’s spiritual children and share His holiness, yielding the fruit of righteousness. We may “despise” the discipline of our Father, rebel against God because of suffering and hardship, and thereby fall away from God.
Under the will of God, trouble may result from our spiritual warfare with Satan. This is a test to strengthen our faith and our works, preparing us to comfort others and manifest the life of Christ. In all kinds of adversity, we must seek God, examine our lives, and forsake all that is contrary to His holiness. Disciplining loved ones in God’s way is keeping them from adapting to the world.