Testing And Strengthening
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.” –Psalm 139:24, 23 NKJV
Who of us enjoys test taking? I know I don’t! As a student in high school and college I looked forward to midterms and finals with the same eager anticipation of someone facing a root canal. On many occasions what should have been study sessions became a contest to see how many spoons it would take to get to the center of a roll of chocolate chip cookie dough (the world may still never know!). These gave way to cram sessions ending an hour or so after the test(s) had been taken. Other times, more so than I care to recall, my sessions consisted of me walking into the classroom on a wing and a prayer and flying by the seat of my pants. Sometimes I’d pass. Other times, not so much.
Looking back almost thirty years later I have come to realize that, while test taking didn’t exactly make the top ten list of fun things to do with my time, they were a necessary part of my academic career. They were a confirmation of learning and acted as a magnifying glass into new and seemingly different information. They were a means of sharpening my memory and strengthening my knowledge.
On the flip side, test taking also brought to light what I didn’t know, what I thought I knew, and showed me often glaringly areas that could be and needed to be improved upon. Such is life.
Daily life is a test, each bringing moments of joy, times of trouble. These seasons bring with them the opportunity to put trust in God to the test. However, unlike academic testing, it is not on a grade scale. There is no “pass,” “fail,” “credit,” ” no credit.” Circumstances test an individual. As one goes through a season of testing, good and bad, God shows the condition of one’s heart and brings him or her to a deeper awareness of His grace. Through these tests, God shines a light on thoughts, attitudes, and emotions. Through these times of testing, God reveals areas of one’s life that has not yet been, and must be, surrendered wholly to Him.
The Psalmist beautifully expresses how God uses testing to know and expose the condition of the heart, how He uses these tests to draw His children closer to Himself, and to make them more like Him and less like the world. Christ followers and followers of the world alike experience testing, walking through seasons of joy and times of trouble. Those who follow the world have difficulty making sense of this and they respond accordingly with attitudes of despair, despondence, many times hopelessness.
As Christ followers we can be assured that there is a purpose for our tests and trials. We have the hope that, as we walk through these seasons of testing, we are becoming as Christ intended for us to be. Through Christ we are able to “count it all joy when we fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of our faith produces patience.” (James 1:2,3 NKJV)
Who of us enjoys test taking? I know I don’t! As a student in high school and college I looked forward to midterms and finals with the same eager anticipation of someone facing a root canal. On many occasions what should have been study sessions became a contest to see how many spoons it would take to get to the center of a roll of chocolate chip cookie dough (the world may still never know!). These gave way to cram sessions ending an hour or so after the test(s) had been taken. Other times, more so than I care to recall, my sessions consisted of me walking into the classroom on a wing and a prayer and flying by the seat of my pants. Sometimes I’d pass. Other times, not so much.
Looking back almost thirty years later I have come to realize that, while test taking didn’t exactly make the top ten list of fun things to do with my time, they were a necessary part of my academic career. They were a confirmation of learning and acted as a magnifying glass into new and seemingly different information. They were a means of sharpening my memory and strengthening my knowledge.
On the flip side, test taking also brought to light what I didn’t know, what I thought I knew, and showed me often glaringly areas that could be and needed to be improved upon. Such is life.
Daily life is a test, each bringing moments of joy, times of trouble. These seasons bring with them the opportunity to put trust in God to the test. However, unlike academic testing, it is not on a grade scale. There is no “pass,” “fail,” “credit,” ” no credit.” Circumstances test an individual. As one goes through a season of testing, good and bad, God shows the condition of one’s heart and brings him or her to a deeper awareness of His grace. Through these tests, God shines a light on thoughts, attitudes, and emotions. Through these times of testing, God reveals areas of one’s life that has not yet been, and must be, surrendered wholly to Him.
The Psalmist beautifully expresses how God uses testing to know and expose the condition of the heart, how He uses these tests to draw His children closer to Himself, and to make them more like Him and less like the world. Christ followers and followers of the world alike experience testing, walking through seasons of joy and times of trouble. Those who follow the world have difficulty making sense of this and they respond accordingly with attitudes of despair, despondence, many times hopelessness.
As Christ followers we can be assured that there is a purpose for our tests and trials. We have the hope that, as we walk through these seasons of testing, we are becoming as Christ intended for us to be. Through Christ we are able to “count it all joy when we fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of our faith produces patience.” (James 1:2,3 NKJV)
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