Have You Ever Feared a Test?
I don’t know about you but when I was growing up, I always seemed to recall the sermons that were about being tested by God. The lesson in every sermon was the inevitability of being tested by God if you wanted to go to the next level. It was about the trials and sacrifices we would have to go through in life and the difficulty of walking with God. The preacher always said something to the effect of, “We were never promised an easy life. As a matter of fact, we are guaranteed a harder life because we will be tested by God. ” All I knew is by the end of every sermon, my fear of being tested grew more and I knew I wanted to avoid being tested at all costs.
Looking back now, I can appreciate those preachers for at least preparing me with the knowledge that I will be tested, however I don’t recall being taught about the purpose of the test nor reminded not to fear them.
This week, we covered God’s test of Abraham’s faith. My biggest emphasis of this whole process is that it came after the promise. Prior to Isaac’s birth, Abraham’s faith had grown tremendously from the time he was initially called to leave Haran. He had traveled all over Canaan, found favor with the native people, defeated unjust armies, committed to the covenant of circumcision for his entire household, and been promised the whole land of Canaan as a possession for his descendants whom would be as numerous as the stars and the sand on the seashore. When you read all of these accounts between Genesis 12 and 21, you could summarize them as miniature test because Abraham had to prove that he was yielded to God’s will. Abraham had to wait nearly 25 years to receive the biggest promise ever- a descendant of his own.
In chapter 22, we see that the real test of faith came after his promised son, Isaac, was born. Imagine you are Abraham and you finally have the child of your dreams to pass on the inheritance God has gifted you. You are raising him and out of the blue God instructs you to sacrifice him as a burnt offering on a mountain far away, what do you do? Let’s examine what Abraham did:
- Abraham answered God as a willing participant and moved swiftly to do the very thing God commanded him to do. No questions asked, no complaining, no fear, just obedience. Why? Because his faith had been prepared for submission to God Almighty (El Shaddai), the one who taught Abraham that He alone could do the impossible.
- Abraham maintained his faith in God alone throughout the encounter. When he was asked by his son why they had everything for the offering except the sheep, he simply expressed his faith by saying, “God will provide”. Why? Because he had seen God’s constant provision and had no reason to doubt Him, even with his only son.
- Abraham went forward with full intent and built an altar, placing his son on it and drawing the knife to perform the sacrifice. Why? Because he understood the need to be obedient regardless of his human understanding of how and when God would provide.
In the end of the account, there are 2 major takeaways. 1) God will test you after you receive the very promise you have been praying, interceding, and waiting for. Like Abraham, it may be a child. For others, it may be a spouse, a dream job, a house, or a once in a lifetime opportunity. By the time you receive the promise, your faith in the one and true living God should be so immense that you fully trust Him and His intent for your life that you can trust Him even through the coming tests that prove you can still handle the promise.
Why? Because God puts nothing past the human mind. He knows that we have a propensity to make idols out of anything and anyone. The purpose of His testing is to prove that our love and respect for Him is still in tact. That we are still dependent on Him to maintain that promise instead of the promise (the spouse, child, job, house, etc.) becoming an idol, the priority in our life over our relationship with God Himself. Our faith in God is the most importantly thing and Gif wants to make sure we always keep that in perspective.
So don’t fear the tests in your life, embrace them as an opportunity to keep your eyes to the hills where your help comes from, knowing that all your help comes from the Lord (not you😜).
