Affliction that Keeps Me in Your Way

When I think of some circumstances I have had in my life that I really didn't want, I realize that I had them for me to  become closer to You, Lord. Your Word in Psalms 119:71 says, “I am glad that I was afflicted so that I may learn your decrees.”  I realize that I do not want to deal with some situations, but, when I take a closer look, I see that I need them.  I desperately need them to keep me closer to You. Without them, I understand that I can stray from Your Way. To overcome these undesirable situations, I know that I must be able to follow Your Way closely. If the situation were removed, I ask, "Will I stay on the course of Your Way as closely as I am because of the situation?"  If I answer no, I need the situation just as Paul needed a stone in his side. The circumstances, although feeling uncomfortable to my flesh, are there to keep me narrowly on Your Way. 

​Let me be strong in You, O Lord.