Affliction That Keeps Me on the Way

When I think of some circumstances I have had in my life that I really did not want, I realize that I have them so that I may 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 realize that I can stray from the Way.  

To overcome the situations, I realize that I must be able to follow the Way closely without having the situation present.  If the situation is removed, will I stay on the course of the Way as closely as I am with the situation?  

If I answer no, I need the situation just as Paul needed a stone in his side. The circumstances that I deal with are not for my fleshly or worldly pleasures and desires, but to keep me narrowly on the Way.  

Let me be strong in You, O Lord.