It’s funny that with all the testing we have in our lives, from SATs to MRIs, blood sugar and skills tests, COVID and drug tests, personality assessments, and pregnancy tests, we resist the idea that our faith will be tested, too.
We rely on both the necessity and the results of tests that tell us our water is safe to drink or our 16-year-olds are ready to drive, but we question — we are even horrified and offended, if we were completely honest — the fact that sometimes our faith must be tested, too.
So, what’s the purpose? As with any test, we could look to the old business axiom that tells us “whatever gets measured gets improved.” While the original source of this quote is disputed, the concept is applied universally, whether consciously or not. The point is, assessing things periodically is the key to improving them. We need to increase our faith, whatever amount we have, so we must not only recognize when it’s being tested but also honestly and humbly accept whatever that test indicates so we can address it.
Being tested is not something the Lord leads us through to harm or destroy us, but to let us see the imperfections that He sees. His ultimate and persistent purpose is to refine and strengthen us. (See 1 Peter 1:7)
If we weren’t so oblivious to our own faults, this wouldn’t be necessary. But if we ever want to rise to the level we want to attain in our lives, we must be humble and objective about what God reveals to us about ourselves. (See Matthew 23:12)
Before we are launched into our purpose or our next-level ventures, we must be tested to ensure we are ready. (See Psalms 105:19) Just as a flight crew makes sure a plane is safe to fly, we need to look at the indicators and the warning lights that go off when we are in crisis.
When we are stressed, do we become irritable, lose our temper, give in to anxiety, or do we steady ourselves—body, mind, and soul—and focus on trusting God? (“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” Isaiah 26:3)
Do we find ourselves defaulting to a victim mentality, blaming everyone else for the fix we are in instead of our own poor choices? Or do we take ownership for our own mistakes, repent, and move forward in the comfort of His grace with more awareness? (“If we say we do not bear the guilt of sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous, forgiving us our sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness.” - 1 John 1:8-10)
Testing is not punishment, and even failing these tests doesn’t make you a failure. No matter what faults or weaknesses come out through these trials of our faith, God has given us new mercy each day that gives us the grace to grow through them and come out stronger and wiser than before. (“The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” Lamentations 3:22-23
When we think we’ve hit rock bottom, His love can still reach us. When we go through our darkest days, He is still reaching out to lead us out. When we face the tests and trials so big we think we are finally beaten, He reminds us that He has already beaten them on our behalf.
(“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”” - John 16:33)
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