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Deuteronomy 8:5

⁵Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you.

The word 'discipline' means 'to teach'. God is always trying to teach His children. The previous verses in yesterday's devotion showed us that trials in life teach us of our dependency on His Word. The lesson is humility. The teaching method is needed.

In this verse we are told about the heart of the teacher. He has a father's heart. No wonder Jesus called God 'Daddy' (Abba). The word of God tells us that even Jesus learned through the things He suffered. If Father God would take His beloved Son, Jesus, through difficulty to teach Him, then how much more do we need it?

We often pray to be delivered from illness, to escape a trial, to be rescued from situations, and we should look to God when we are in trouble. The lesson we see in the wilderness wanderings of Israel, is that of our attitude toward each test. Israel often failed by murmuring about the test instead of learning the lesson God was trying to teach, the lessons of humility and dependency.

What will you do when the next trial comes your way? What should be your response? Some demand that God remove the test, the teaching tool, without learning or even acknowledging the lesson. Others run to man to find a solution and refuse to acknowledge the test comes from a loving Father.

Consider: First, see the source. Then find the lesson that needs to be learned. Thank your Father for His loving discipline and learn from it.