Ready for the Test

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God 

When I was in school, I was much like all the other kids in the class that weren’t fond of the Friday “Test Day.” I did have a few favorite teachers, though, who always gave us hints about what to expect on the test. Knowing what the test was going to cover made them somewhat more palatable.  

As a Christ follower, you are also going to experience test days. That’s what the Bible says; that your faith is subject to testing. I can’t tell you it will be on a Friday, though. It could happen anytime, like a “Pop Quiz.” Or, it could be like a Mid Term exam that lasts for an extended period of time. Regardless, it’s best to be prepared because you know the test is coming. 

This morning, I’m giving you some of the questions you will face on your next test. Study them, and you’ll do well when the test comes.

Question: Do you believe God is in control?

I hope you answered - YES! This question may be repeated on future tests as well. It goes without saying that the test may have come as a surprise to you, but it wasn’t a surprise to God. Settle this matter in your heart. God is in control. 

Question: Do you believe God is good? 

It’s one thing to say God is in control, but it’s an all together different thing to say He is good, especially when your instincts say He isn’t leading you somewhere good, like a rafting guide who takes you over white-capped rapids and dangerous falls. Those are good times to remember that “the LORD is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations” [Psalm 100.5].

Question: Can you wait patiently in faith until you see the victory?

As you can see, the test questions are getting harder, and, of the three I’ve given you, this is the hardest. Sometimes, the test seems to have no tangible way out. You can’t find a workable solution. You’ve prayed about it so long that you don’t know what to pray about anymore. 

Don’t break your #2 pencil in half. Don’t crumble up the test paper and throw it in the trash.  That’s the time to wait and see God’s solution. Because He is in control, and because He is good, He can be trusted to preserve your faith until, at last, it is proven to be “more precious than gold.”

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith — more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire — may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1.6-7