Affliction can come in many forms in the saint’s life.  We don’t often look at it the way Thomas Brooks describes but in reality our life is magnified through affliction.

Job 7:17-18 What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him? And that thou shouldest visit him every morning, and try him every moment?

These evils of affliction are for good, as they bring with them certificates of God’s love, and the evidences of His special favor.  Affliction is the saint’s badge and mark of honor.  That the God of glory should look upon a worm, and take so much notice of him as to afflict him rather than lose him, is a high act of favor.  God’s rod is a scepter of dignity.  Job calls God’s afflicting us His magnifying of us (7:17).  Some men’s prosperity has been their shame while others’ affliction has been their crown.

The Art of Divine Contentment – Thomas Brooks

Magnification Through Affliction

Affliction can come in many forms in the saint’s life.  We don’t often look at it the way Thomas Brooks describes but in reality our life is magnified through affliction.   We often look at it as punishment like Job’s friends (when you have friends like he had, who needs enemies).  But instead God choose to magnify Job through trials and afflictions.  He wanted to show the devil how much Job really loved God.  Affliction in the Christian that takes it properly can produce much needed growth in his life.  Affliction is often what we need to get us to move and truly seek God like Job did.  We are really nothing but God decides to take notice of us.  He guides and directs affliction so that we can become more like Him.  The evils of affliction can work for our good.  As we seek the Lord in the trials of life and grow, we give the devil a black eye like Job did.  We glorify the one who saved us.

Try Him Every Moment

God seeks to try us every moment.  He wants us to continue to grow.  If you don’t grow under trials and instead get bitter, the Lord is not magnified and neither are you.  Instead the devil is magnified.  Can you image if Job had charged God foolishly like Mrs. Job wanted him to.  If that was the case, I am not so sure the book of Job would be in the Bible.  There are millions of stories of Christians who have given in to trials and glorified the devil rather than the Lord.  Instead, if we let him try us every moment and grow from it, He will continue to try us more as he can trust us just like He did Job.  The Lord wants to try you every moment.  He wants to visit you every morning with His grace.  He cares about you more than you care about yourself.  Will you let him try you and magnify through affliction or will you let the devil win and complain about the Lord trying to work good in your life?