Psalm 89:30-37

30“If his sons forsake My law
And do not walk in My judgments,
31If they break My statutes
And do not keep My commandments,
32Then I will punish their transgression with the rod,
And their iniquity with stripes.
33Nevertheless My lovingkindness I will not utterly take from him,
Nor allow My faithfulness to fail.
34My covenant I will not break,
Nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips.
35Once I have sworn by My holiness;
I will not lie to David:
36His seed shall endure forever,
And his throne as the sun before Me;
37It shall be established forever like the moon,
Even like the faithful witness in the sky.”
Selah
-Psalm 89:30-37

I remember crying to myself in my room after being disciplined by my dad for something dumb I had done. Having faced the consequences of my own actions and bearing the lecture to follow, I was embarrassed, hurt, and angry. Eventually my mom came around and sat with me a moment. Not wanting to lift the consequence, she reinforced it by saying something many of us are familiar with hearing. "One day you will be thankful for this."

Discipline is never fun in the moment. I have never met a man, woman, or child that excites at being chastised. However, I have met very few who were not thankful that they had been disciplined. In a culture where discipline and conviction appears to be in short supply, those of us who have faced is recognize the value in it being done and being done well.

Praise God that we do have a Heavenly Father who rightly disciplines. We face consequences, but we face them as dear children. His faithfulness does not fail. We know His standard and we experience His chastisement. Surely we can see that what He does, He truly does to our benefit. Blessed be the name of the Lord God! He has made us righteous, is making us righteous, and will yet make us righteous.