Spiritual depression - Lloyd-Jones - XVII - Chapter 17

Required reading

Spiritual Depression by D. M. Lloyd-Jones (available from Amazon) - Read Chapter 17, 'Chastening'.

My summary
Now Lloyd-Jones looks at how to treat spiritual depression that is caused through chastening.

Chastisement is a training done to a child, and for the Christian can come through:
(i) a loss of material (e.g. finances);
(ii) a loss of health;
(iii) persecution;
(iv) death;
(v) a withdrawal of God's face.

The reasons God chastises us are because:
(i) he loves us;
(ii) he wants to sanctify us from problems such as pride, worldliness, self-confidence and self-satisfaction.

What grabbed me
At the beginning of the chapter Lloyd-Jones makes the comment: 'God's great concern for us primarily is not our happiness but our holiness.'  Now I think I understand where he is coming from - chastisement doesn't usually make us happy, but it does make us holy.  But I'm not sure I would have made the above statement.  As someone raised on the Westminster Catechism I have always understood that God's great concern for us is that we would glorify him and be happy in him.  While chastisement may be painful at the time, I do think that it is to actually make us happier later on.  If God did not sanctify us through chastisement we may be happier for a time, but eventually we would be very unhappy.  So God is primarily concerned for our happiness, isn't he?

What do you think?  Am I picking at straws here?  Let me know in the comments section.

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.