A recurring nightmare I had while in school was that I would show up for class one day and in sudden horror and disbelief realize, “Oh, no!!! Test today?!?”
Have you ever met anyone who looks forward to exams? You’d probably raise an eyebrow about such a person.
These days we test everything, it seems: scholastics, equipment, strength, satisfaction, performance, efficiency… you name it, there’s probably a test for it! Why? If we so despise testing, why do we keep making ourselves miserable?
The simple answer is: testing lets us know what we’ve got. Where are the strengths? weaknesses? areas for growth?
Did you know God tests for those same reasons? Remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you…these forty years… testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commands or not.1
Heart beat #2: God tests the heart.
He tested Abraham.2 He tested His people.3 Heart-testing is His thing4 because He wants to know what He’s got.
But consider His additional objectives. He tests our hearts so He can refine them as with pure gold.5 He tests so that He can do good for us in the end.6 And He tests so He can reward us.7
O Lord, You know how I dislike testing. But I choose to welcome Your refining and proving work in my life so that when You’re done, You’ll have made something of value in my heart that brings You joy.
1 Deuteronomy 8:2
2 Genesis 22:1
3 Exodus 15:25, 16:4, Deuteronomy 13:3
4 Proverbs 17:3
5 “test” in Psalm 26:2 means to smelt or refine.
6 Deuteronomy 8:16
7 Jeremiah 17:10