Proverb 3:12

“For whom the Lord loves He corrects,
Just as a father the son in whom he delights.”

Never does our sovereign Father chasten out of anger, though we may see our earthly parents act out in that way, or as parents, we may succumb to our anger over appropriate disciplinary actions.

But our God, who is love, corrects in love because it is His nature. He does what is best for his children. He always has their best interest at heart.

Just as a father who delights in his son will not–no can not–stand sheepishly by and watch as his son errs in his innocent approach to life. When he sees him struggling with his fork at dinner, he will aid him, correct him and teach him so that he becomes capable of feeding himself. 

A father who tends to his child would not ignore the struggle in his child’s effort nor be at ease to see him settle for using his fingers. Because he delights in his child, because he wants the best for him, because he wants him to have a future. And He prepares him for his future by fathering him. And to father is to correct when his child is in the wrong. 

When the child is accustomed to correction, he earns a healthy understanding of it, he doesn’t lose his confidence, but gains security in knowing that his father is caring for him. And he is given the gift of hope for his future because his father took the time to prepare him for what lies ahead.

Do you feel the sting of discipline in your life? Do you feel as though you stand corrected in your spirit by God’s prodding affection? 

It is because you are so loved….so loved that He cares to prepare you for your future. 

Give thanks if you are squirming in an uneasy air of correction and know that you are being shaped for your future and gifted with the hope that you are so loved.

Give thanks because your father delights in you so much that he wants the best for you. He wants to correct you so that you are more adept and prepared for the future he holds for you. Stand confidently in his correction, child!