God’s tests are most often pop quizzes. You don’t see them coming. If you knew you would be running late tomorrow morning, you’d prepare ahead of time. But that’s not a real test.
(Photo: Shiloh, where Hannah trusted God. Courtesy of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands)
A real test hits your blindside. It tests the mettle of your theology, and often, it even seems to contradict it.
- You have walked with God, but a family member suddenly gets terribly ill.
- Your integrity on the job has been stellar, but someone else gets the promotion.
- You have worked hard on a project, but the doors for its success stay closed.
- You get an unexpected phone call with news that chills your soul.
In the end, the pop quizzes we experience usually boil down to one thing.
Our Struggling Answers to Hard Questions
If the expectations of our Christian life are that our faithfulness will result in uninterrupted safety, continual protection, and abundant provision, we will misunderstand God’s leading.
Consider:
- Abram did nothing wrong to experience a famine, but God took him there (Genesis 12:10).
- Joseph did nothing wrong to get sold into Egypt, but God took him there (Genesis 37:28).
- Hannah did nothing wrong to experience barrenness, but God took her there (1 Samuel 1:5).
- Hezekiah did nothing wrong to have his life cut short, but God took him there (Isaiah 38:1).
You could make your own list, couldn’t you? So could I.
Two Choices: True or False
When these pop quizzes get dropped in our lives, it’s like catching a live grenade. We have a decision how we will react.
We can believe what is true or what is false.
- We can tell ourselves: God is good. This couldn’t possibly be God’s will. I need to find a way out of this at all costs.
- Or we can tell ourselves: My God is sovereign. I realize there is no escape from this test, so I’m choosing to trust Him when everything in me wants to run.
God’s tests usually boil down to one thing: trust.
Take Out a Blank Sheet of Paper
Has the Lord handed you a pop quiz today? Are your struggling with the answers?
While you may never fully understand why God gives such pop quizzes, it is clear what He wants you to do in the midst of the test.
- Trust Him.
- Obey Him.
Trust and obey. That much you will always know to do.
Tell me what you think: What have you learned from God’s pop quizzes? To leave a comment, just click here.