Chastening

CHASTENING A stern word spoken from above, A word of warning, yet in love, Sometimes enough to do the task Of bringing wayward Christians back. Some fall to circumstances’ strain, Or laid aside and sick with pain, Or surgery will often claim That wayward soul who shamed Christ’s name. A setback in financial bliss Will often well accomplish this. And soon the sins are all confessed, And once again that life is blessed. Yes, God, like us, has many ways Of chastening children through the days. Yet each child’s chastened, and the one Who is without is not His son. The Shepherd’s rod must often break The legs of him who wrong paths takes. And sin left unconfessed can lead Beyond that quiet voice that pleads, Beyond the sickness and the pain, Beyond the dire financial strain, And God can stop life-giving breath And call that child home in death. So listen to His careful word, Respond the instant that you’ve heard, And chastening will have done its task And brought you the easy pathway back.