Testing

[Judges 3:1-4] “Now these are the nations which the Lord left to test Israel by them (that is, all who had not experienced any of the wars of Canaan; only in order that the generations of the sons of Israel might be taught war, those who had not experienced formerly). These nations are: the five lords of the Philistines and all the Canaanites and the Sidonians and the Hivites who lived in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath. They were for testing Israel, to find out if they would obey the commandments of the Lord, which He had commanded their fathers through Moses.”

At one point today I saw a thermometer that read 111 degrees. This is the hottest day I have personally witnessed. I watched some of the Paradise Panthers two a day practices in the scorching heat. What a test. The rest of the week is not going to get any better. Each player will be tested mentally and physically in these brutal conditions.

Tests are a part of life. You have to be tested to get a driver’s license. You get tested in school to pass on to the next grade, to graduate, to get a medical or realtor license, or to become a lawyer. Athletes get tested in practices and in games. Tests are all around us and we accept them as a perfectly normal part of life.

That is we accept them until they come from God. Does God ever test His children? You just read out of the book of Judges that He tested Israel. In fact the word test or testing is used twice. What does that word mean in the above scripture? The word test actually means, “to prove, to try, to adventure.”

If you read verse four carefully we are told why God tested Israel, “to find out if they would obey the commandments of the Lord.” When the heat gets on and the pressure intensifies will you and I continue to obey God? Will our faith be proved as genuine?

God’s tests come in all shapes and sizes and at all seasons of life. For some it comes in the form of a Hurricane. For others it comes in a Tsunami or an earthquake. Some people are tested by drought, while others are tried with floods. Believe it or not some are tested by success while others have to endure failure to see what they are made of.

How are you being tested today? What shape has your test taken on? If you are being proved during this season what are you discovering about yourself? Are you still clinging to hope in God? Do you maintain obedience to God’s commands or do you drift from the straight and the narrow? Does obedience look as rewarding to you as the enticement to sin?

Let’s admit it. It is not fun when God tests you. It can be a frustrating, confusing, and difficult time. I have found in my experience that times of testing when endured usually lead to times of greater revelation of God and greater blessings. To get the revelation and the blessings we have to pass the test. We have gut out those trials and tenaciously pray for strength not just to survive, but to prevail.

You can always tell the athletes who put in the work during the summer months to prepare for the upcoming football season and those who chose the path of least resistance. I love to watch those athletes who have trained and prepared for the grueling two a day workouts. They do not whine, give lack luster effort, or throw up at the end. They have trained and are ready. Taylor put in the work this summer along with his brothers. Many days he ran wind sprints in 100 plus degree temperatures. He did not wilt today in the heat. He passed the test.

There are many followers of God who have put in the work of prayer, scripture reading and meditation, and obedience who know how to pass God’s tests. They have done so over and over again. They have battled disease, death, discouragement, and even defeat from time to time. They have a mature faith that can handle the trials. They know God loves them and they know God has their best interest at heart. Therefore they trust God with the outcome.

I want to be counted in that number. I am not there yet. I struggle with doubts from time to time. I know God never fails His children. I don’t just think this in my head but I believe it as a rock solid conviction in my heart. I still entertain doubts too often and for far too long to please the Lord.

I know I am being tested now. I honestly believe He is coming through for me. I know this. I just do not know when and that what gets to me. Like a friend of mine told me today, “God is teaching you the lesson you hate the most and that is patience.” He is right.

Patience is part of the fruit of the Spirit and only has I submit to walk in the Spirit will I not live in impatience. I press on knowing God will see me through. His path might not be an easy one. The trials might get tougher before I come out on the other side, but by His grace I will obey and I will keep following even when I do not understand and when the way seems unsure. I will not turn back. I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living as I wait for Him. [Ps 27:13-14]

We all get tested from time to time. I will not begrudge God for that. I expect He is setting up the circumstances for one of the greatest miracles I have ever personally seen. Greater blessings lie on the other side of this test. I am once again in the front row of God’s arena about to behold His faithfulness. The tests are tough but God triumphs in the end.

Stand back and watch what God does for this wounded warrior. Sit in the arena of God and watch God perform the extraordinary for this very ordinary babbler. God is on the verge of moving my mountains and doing something that will cause many to scratch their heads. Though tested by the grace of God I will come out of this triumphant.