Godly Grief

Today's reading: 2 Corinthians 7:8-16

'As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.' - 2 Corinthians 7:9-10

R.C. Lenski, writing on this verse, said, "A surgeon may cause severe pain; he rejoiced when he sees the cure that this pain has produced. I ti snot the pain as such but the pain as being productive of the cure that rejoices him."

Many of our prayers for others and for ourselves seem to default in a certain way. We are praying for a way around pain. "God, please keep them safe." Now, there is nothing wrong with this kind of prayer, but it is not usually the most useful kind of prayer.

Many times what we need is not to sidestep the pain, the sorrow, but to walk right through it. Pain is productive if we will allow it to do what it does best. It shakes us out of our complacency, especially when it comes to unrecognized sin.

May God lead us further into salvation without regret.