“Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.’ ”
— Exodus 20:20
Tests. Nobody likes ’em. But they’re a fact of life. Teachers use them to find out how much we’ve learned and whether the stuff we’ve been taught is sticking. God uses them to strengthen our trust, check our obedience, and see how our faith holds up when things get hairy.
Take Noah. While everyone around him hinted that he had stayed out in the sun too long, Noah obeyed God, and then “by his faith . . . was made right in God’s sight.” (Hebrews 11:7 NLT). In other words, Noah aced his exams.
Then there were Joseph, Moses, Joshua, David, Daniel, Job, Jonah, Mary, Joseph, Peter, Paul — honor students all.
How’d they do it? The Bible says by “faith.” When they faced trials, they didn’t think, This is too hard. I can’t do it. Instead, they thought, I don’t know where this is leading, but I do know God is loving, powerful, and trustworthy. So I’m with him.
That’s a good study plan for us to follow. If we “live by faith, not by sight,” (2 Corinthians 5:7), we’ll be ready to trust God unconditionally — even if our BFF ditches us, we break a leg in soccer, or some other nasty thing comes our way.
More To Explore: Daniel 3:8 – 30 and 2 Timothy 2:13
Girl Talk: Do you feel like you’re being tested in any way right now?
God Talk: “Dear God, help me to trust that your love will see me through any trial or problem. Amen.”
From Whatever: Livin’ the True, Noble, Totally Excellent Life by Allia Zobel Nolan