This is a Test.

I was watching a television show the other night and it was interrupted by the familiar noise and the saying, “This is a test of the emergency broadcast system.” As always, I was very thankful it was only a test.

We can probably all remember our days in school when we would have a pop quiz. There was no time to study as it was a test to see how much we knew at that moment. What about tests from God?  Does He ever give us tests? He certainly does, but we must

understand this truth; God tests us to bring out the best in our relationship with Him and so we can see how we are doing in our faith and our obedience to Him. Satan doesn’t test us but he tempts us. He doesn’t want to bring out the best in us but the worst.

 According to John 6, when Jesus fed the 5000, He posed a question to Phillip, “Where shall we buy bread that we may eat?” The next verse states, “But He said this to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.” This was a test of faith for Phillip and the other disciples as they were able to see God’s provision for these hungry people in the miraculous multiplication of a few fish and some bread.

 Tests of faith and obedience go all the way back to the book of Exodus. The children of Israel are in the desert and they are complaining because they have no food. Exodus 16:4 states, “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold I will rain bread from heaven for you. And

the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not.”  God laid out specific guidelines pertaining to how much they were to gather and how long they could keep the manna. The manna was their provision but it was also a test of obedience for them.

 The ultimate test of all tests was when God told Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. Abraham moved forward in complete obedience. As he was ready to slay his son the Angel of the Lord stopped him and said, “Now I know that you fear God.”

 God already knows if we will obey Him or not but we don’t know until that very moment when we are put to the test. These tests are for us, so we can determine how we are doing in the faith and obedience department.

 

Pastor Marty