You Will Be Tested

My journey though the Bible has been tedious and a practice in discipline. The words are foreign, the text feels heavy, and the stories are old. But I have uncovered some nuggets.

Today, I am in the book of Exodus. The people of Israel have pleaded and begged for their freedom from Pharaoh and God gave in.

Moses and Aaron lead this large group of people towards the promise land. They are young, old, and diverse in their backgrounds. I think some truly believed in God and the others are along for the ride. They have already seen God do astounding things, such as, parting the Red Sea. Even so they are human, compliancy and forgetfulness have a tendency to set in.

Let the testing begin.

Exodus 16: 4 The Lord said to Moses, “Behold I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not.

Why does God test? What purpose does it have in our lives?

The answer is simple but difficult to accept when some people are tested with cancer, illness, and the loss of a child and death of a friend or loved one.

God test us so that we see our faith lived out.

Think for a moment, how can we say that we have faith if we never have the chance to apply it? It is the same faith that we place in our closest relationships. We know that the people in our lives love us and we place our faith in them because situations have tested the relationship.

The testing has made the relationship stronger!

I know God needs to prove nothing to himself, so the testing is not for him but for me. It is to make me stronger. It is a chance for me to live out the faith that I claim to have. It is the chance to stand in the middle of storm and yell, “come what may, I am not afraid, I will not back down.”

With the right perspective what an opportunity.

@earlinagreen