What has happened to us is a result of our evil deeds and our great guilt, and yet, our God, you have punished us less than our sins have deserved and have given us a remnant like this. (Ezra 9:13)
This verse provides a wonderful example of how I should be communicating with God. Countless times in my life I’ve come before Him with a shopping list of needs and desires I fully expect Him to fulfill, whether it be for good grades, a good performance on the baseball field, a good job, a wife, etc. Other times I’ve come before God questioning His goodness: “How could you do this to me? How could you abandon me? Will you ever answer my prayer?”
On the contrary, I can count on my fingers and toes the number of times I’ve come before God acknowledging a well-deserved punishment. I can’t remember the last time I got down on my knees and said “Lord, thanks for the whipping you gave me! I was clearly disobedient and yet you were just in your punishment.”
I don’t know if I’ll ever be thankful enough, humble enough, or obedient enough. Fortunately, I serve a God that punishes me less and blesses me more than my sins deserve.