My friend prays for her wayward son, and she's torn. She wants her son to succeed in life, yet she realises he may not feel his need for Jesus unless he hits rock bottom. So she painfully prays for her son's failure, so that he may come to Jesus and find true success.

Discipline is painful, so it must not be wasted. In a reprise of Haggai 1:5-9, God repeatedly urges the remnant to ″give careful thought″ to His discipline. He tells them to ″give careful thought″ to their repeated disappointments. They thought they had ″twenty measures″ but ″there were only ten″, ″fifty measures″ but ″there were only twenty″ (Haggai 2:15-16). He points to their empty harvests and says, ″Give careful thought: Is there yet any seed left in the barn?″ (vv. 18-19). There is little fruit, and no seed for planting (v. 19). They're finished!

Why? Because of the people's disobedience. When God made His covenant with Israel, He promised to bless if they obeyed and curse if they disobeyed (see Deuteronomy 28). Israel chose to reject God and disobey. What did they think was going to happen?

God did not establish the same conditions with us, so it's not always clear why God's people suffer today. God may allow us to struggle in our situation to reinforce our reliance on Him, help us avoid complacency, or prevent us from presuming on Him. If He immediately blessed every act of obedience, we might treat God as a cosmic vending machine. We insert our obedience and He plops out His blessing. Perhaps our difficulty is intended to keep us close to God, remembering that our relationship with Him matters more than His reward.

We can't say for sure why God allows us to be stuck, but the purpose is at least in part to turn our hearts towards Him. God tells us to ″endure hardship as discipline″, for He ″is treating you as his children″ (Hebrews 12:7). Every father disciplines his children, and refrains from disciplining other people's kids. If we never experience God's firm hand of correction, that's a sign we're not His ″true sons and daughters at all″ (v. 8).

Thank God for what He's teaching you through your mired muddle. His discipline is not the goal; it's a necessary path to the goal. God's goal is our growth. The author of Hebrews admits, ″No discipline seems pleasant at the time . . . however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace″ (v. 11). God's goal is our flourishing. He told Israel their hardship was over. ″From this day on I will bless you″ (Haggai 2:19). Trust the one who loves you enough to discipline you.