“My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father, the son and whom he delights.”
– Proverbs 3:11–12
Proverbs 3:11–12 is a word we all need to be reminded of, that when the Lord disciplines us, it is evidence of his love for us. It’s a picture of his delight in us, which makes sense when I think about it as a dad. I think about my kids. Just a simple illustration, like if one of my kids is running out into the road where a car could be coming, I am going to discipline my child. I’m going to pull them aside. I’m going to communicate very seriously how wrong it is to run into a road as a car is coming, and I’m going to urge them, and I’m going to teach them not to do that again.
May we learn to love the discipline of God. We know that He is ultimately for our good and for His glory.
Why? Because I love them, because I delight in them. I love them so much. That’s why I’m going to discipline them. So with God. When it comes to sin and temptation in our lives and the temptation we have to go towards sin, to go toward that which will bring destruction to us. Praise God, he disciplines us. Praise God, he convicts us. Praise God, he teaches us not to go back to that sin, not to go back to that temptation, because he loves us, because he delights in us, as our dad, as our father in heaven. So, God, we praise you for your discipline. God, please, please, discipline us. I don’t even know all that that means in my own life or the lives of those who are listening right now, but we ask for this. We ask for you to discipline us in your love.
Keep us from sin. Pull us away from temptation. Help us when we are prone to think we know better than you what is best for our lives. God, deliver us from that kind of thinking. Save us from ourselves every day. Save us from ourselves and discipline us as you and your wisdom see fit, and help us then, help us not to despise your discipline or be weary of your reproof. Help us to receive it humbly and lovingly receive it from the love you are showing to us. We praise you. We praise you, that you reprove those whom you love and, God, we praise you. You delight in us like a father with his children. Thank you for loving us like that. So help us to receive every expression of your love, including your discipline in our lives. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
