The prophet spoke of Moab: "settled on his dregs, never poured from vessel to vessel." Wine left undisturbed. Wine gone bad.

Give someone wealth—let their investments bring home fortune after fortune. Let the market winds blow always in their favor. Let their business ventures multiply beyond imagination. Let success follow success follow success. Give them perfect health—let them march through life with iron nerves and blazing confidence. Give them that buoyant spirit, that perpetual song on the lips, that constant sparkle in the eye.

And what happens? The natural consequence of such an easy life—even for the greatest Christian who ever breathed—will be presumption. Even David said, "I shall never be moved." And friend, we are not better than David. Not half as good.

Beware the smooth places of the road! If you're walking on one now, watch your step. If the way is rough? Thank God for it.

Think! If God always rocked us in prosperity's cradle, if fortune always dandled us on her knee, if there were never a stain on the alabaster, never a cloud in the sky, never one bitter drop in life's wine—we would become intoxicated with pleasure. We would dream we stand secure. And stand we would! But like a sailor asleep at the masthead, teetering on the edge of disaster.

So we bless God for our afflictions. We thank him for our changes. We praise his name even for financial losses. Because without his chastening, we would have grown fatally secure. Continued worldly prosperity is itself a fiery trial.

"Afflictions, though they seem severe, in mercy oft are sent."