“Some time later, God tested Abraham” (Gen. 22:1)

Why has God made every situation in life a test for us? Our thoughts, decisions, actions, reactions, and every desire are all tests of our obedience to the will of God. But like everything else, there are different and degrees of testing.

For instance, God tested Job to the highest point of human endurance in Satan’s hands (Job 1, 2). He displayed the quality of Job’s faith before heaven and earth. God proved that Job’s faith did not depend on his wealth or family wellbeing. Neither was it conditional upon his physical wellbeing. It was simply a real-life lesson on how His faithful servants should love and walk with Him in absolute trust, no matter how terrible their situation may be and how personal they may get. It was purposeful, and Job knew it, as shown in his declaration, “But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold” (Job. 23:10).

God tested the faith of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego for refusing to bow to the golden image the king had erected in the plain of Dura (Dan. 3:1-30). God also called Daniel to defend his faith in the face of death in the den of several hungry lions that were ready for the kill. Daniel stood firm and survived the test (6:10).

In all three cases, God delivered His servants from death to show that He is faithful to those who trust in Him (2 Sam. 22:26). But God saved many saints of sterling faith and character from such trials. They stood in their faith till death swept them away into God’s eternal presence. Hebrews chapter eleven has a sweeping account of some, and the demise of the apostles and many other saints of old stand as testimony to this.

In His sovereign will, God decides what to do with every test He brings in the way of His servants. He knows the result from the beginning, yet He sets them up purposefully to display His glory and to teach posterity His dealings with His children and how to walk with Him by faith.

In Abraham, God showed the quality of faith He requires in every justified soul in Christ (Gen. 22). God’s “Now I know” statement (v.12) was only a statement of affirmation. His provision of a substitute (v.14) moved His trusting servant to a higher level of faith and knowledge of Him in a new way—as Jehovah Jireh (v.14). It foreshadowed the sacrifice of His only Son, Jesus Christ, to save us.

So, the tests God brings our ways are not for His discovery of some truth He does not know. They help us grow in the knowledge of His Son, Jesus Christ. The question is not whether you will face trials. Your response when they come is what matters.

This year—may God give you the grace to stand and prevail against any trial that comes your way in Christ Jesus—that you will not fall. Amen!

Happy New Year, and a Prosperous one in Christ!