"For behold, the Lord hath said: I will not succor my people in the day of their transgression; but I will hedge up their ways that they prosper not; and their doings shall be as a stumbling block before them."
Mosiah 7:29
I think it is interesting how this is written. It says that the Lord will hedge up our ways, but it also says that "their doings will be as a stumbling block." To me it seems like when God chooses to punish us, almost all of the time all he does is withhold his blessings temporarily, allowing us to suffer the consequences of our own actions.
Not saying this is always what happens, and definitely not saying that it isn't painful or hard to bear, but the way it seems to me, all the rest of the time God is constantly blessing us, and we don't really notice until it is gone. And it is gone because we walked away from God, not the other way around. He won't succor us in the day of our transgression... in other words, he isn't going to just keep the blessings coming like nothing is wrong. He wants us to notice and to care, and realize that there are consequences to our behavior. Kind of like giving us a time out. :)
Four verses later we are told that if we return to the Lord will full purpose of heart, he will deliver us (verse 33). So, we know it is temporary, we know how to get out of it... still hard, still painful, but very much something that seems like a reasonable parent thing to do... if you are the kind of parent who has that much power, of course. :) Probably a good thing that he does or we would walk all over him.
Today, let's remember that God is our father, and that sometimes it is necessary for us to be chastised and to learn the consequences of our actions. However, let's also remember that God's discipline is light, and he is a tender, loving, forgiving parent, teaching us, lifting us, and supporting us as we learn and grow, and who is also quick to forgive when we wander off and want to come back.
Mosiah 7:29
I think it is interesting how this is written. It says that the Lord will hedge up our ways, but it also says that "their doings will be as a stumbling block." To me it seems like when God chooses to punish us, almost all of the time all he does is withhold his blessings temporarily, allowing us to suffer the consequences of our own actions.
Not saying this is always what happens, and definitely not saying that it isn't painful or hard to bear, but the way it seems to me, all the rest of the time God is constantly blessing us, and we don't really notice until it is gone. And it is gone because we walked away from God, not the other way around. He won't succor us in the day of our transgression... in other words, he isn't going to just keep the blessings coming like nothing is wrong. He wants us to notice and to care, and realize that there are consequences to our behavior. Kind of like giving us a time out. :)
Four verses later we are told that if we return to the Lord will full purpose of heart, he will deliver us (verse 33). So, we know it is temporary, we know how to get out of it... still hard, still painful, but very much something that seems like a reasonable parent thing to do... if you are the kind of parent who has that much power, of course. :) Probably a good thing that he does or we would walk all over him.
Today, let's remember that God is our father, and that sometimes it is necessary for us to be chastised and to learn the consequences of our actions. However, let's also remember that God's discipline is light, and he is a tender, loving, forgiving parent, teaching us, lifting us, and supporting us as we learn and grow, and who is also quick to forgive when we wander off and want to come back.
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