“Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word. . . .It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

Doing things the easy way is always…easy.  Unfortunately, we don’t often take the easy way.  In fact, I suspect most of us can honestly say we don’t ever take the easy way.  But, this doesn’t mean the hard way can’t still turn out good.

When we go astray, there will be consequences.  God may often mitigate the real severity of these, but He also uses them to call us to the right.  By giving us a taste of what it looks like to do life without Him, He invites us to the better way.

The question for us is whether or not we’ll take it.  If we experience the consequences of our sinful choices and just continue on down the path, there’s really no help for us.  We are fools.  But, if we use the experience to drive us to keep God’s word more faithfully, then we will be able to say with the psalmist here: It was good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.  Which will you choose?