An Unexpected Expression of God’s love

Okay everyone, pencils down and close your books. You’ve had time to study. Now it is time for the test. Papers shuffle, books close and panic fills the room. Am I ready? Will I pass?

Tests are revealing. They show what we know and don’t know. They are given by parents, teachers and by God!

A parent might ask an older child to watch a younger sibling while they run to the grocery store or let a newly licensed driver take the car to the gas station to fill it with gas. In fear and trepidation, they hope to find their children alive and well when they return. 

It was a test. 

How they respond will determine how much responsibility parents will entrust to their children. Tests not only reveal a child’s readiness for responsibility but also provides opportunity for children to grow and mature into adulthood which, too often, comes sooner than we think. 

The goal of good parenting is to help our children grow up, mature and accept responsibility for themselves.  

Nobody wants to be feeding a sixteen-year-old in a highchair. 

My daughter who is parenting four children often tells me when reading the Scriptures that she looks for how God “parents” His children to learn how to better parent her own. 

Last Saturday, I was steeped in the book of Judges. Three times in chapters 2 and 3, the author tells us that God “tested” the Israelites.

Tested. That’s something parents or teachers would do. Tests reveal what they don’t know. But why God? Why would He test…doesn’t He know everything? And besides, tests are discouraging. It seems the whole class is always failing!

So, I did a word search in the Bible to see if it shows up in the New Testament. Sure, enough there it was…over twenty times the word is used.

No, LORD, I groaned. I hate tests! 

My mind immediately went back to times in my life where I failed miserably. 

So, I laid my question before Him. “LORD, why did you test Israel when you knew the outcome? Why do you test us?? We already know how far short we fall.”

As I dug a bit deeper into the Scriptures, I began to see that God did not test Israel because He did not know the outcome. God knows the secrets of our hearts, and He knows the outcome of every thought and action. 

“Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it all.” Psalm 139:4

“And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve Him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought.” 1 Chronicles 28:9

And then, there is David who inquires of God. “Should I go here or there? Should I take refuge in this city or not? If I stay in Keilah, will they turn me over to Saul?” 1 Samuel 23

“Yes,” says the LORD. “If you stay in Keilah, they will turn you over to Saul.” 

Though it never happened God knew what would happen. So, David did not go!!

If God knows hearts and knows what we will do and not do, then why the tests?!! 

The more I studied, the more I saw that God does not test us to gain information. He already knows!! Then why the tests? Because our God is a loving parent, and as our Heavenly Father He wants His children to grow.

The tests are for our benefit!

Here are four simple reasons for tests:

- Tests reveal the reality of our faith. They provide opportunity for us to trust God and grow into the faith we claim.  

- Tests strengthen and refine us. God does not give tests to punish us, but to purify us and mature our character. How can we fix it, if we don’t know what is broken? 

- Tests build self-awareness and confidence. God wants us to know ourselves and grow, and to walk confidently in His commands. Ps. 26:2; 139:23 When we are tested and tried, we gain a deeper understanding of our faith, and we grow in our understanding of God. 

- Tests also serve a purpose beyond us. In some cases, God allows trials to demonstrate His faithfulness and the strength of His people to the spiritual realm and even to our enemies, as was done in the case of Job. Job 1-2; Ephesians 6:12

Ultimately, the test is not for God, it is for us. It’s a means of growth, self-discovery and spiritual maturity. As James 1:2-4 says, trials produce endurance, which leads to maturity and completeness, and even joy. They are never meant to discourage us. 

God’s tests are an act of grace and a demonstration of His love!!