Genesis 22:1

New International Version

Sometime later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

For Encouragement

In 2003, God called my family from Ghana to pastor the International Church of Dakar. One year into our tenure, we faced a fiery trial as seven members, including the chairperson of the Leadership Team, opposed suggested changes to the church’s leadership and administrative structure. Their resistance escalated every Sunday, leading to violent clashes and bloodshed in the church one Sunday. Once every negotiation had failed, the government acted and pressed charges against the dissenters for disturbing public peace and defiling a holy place, resulting in suspended prison sentences and a five-year ban from the church. This was a testing time for us, but we held onto our faith and trust in God’s plan. Until ultimate victory, the entire church endured immense torture. After the trial, God gave us twenty years of fruitful ministry until retirement in 2023.

As believers, we often wonder why God, who is All-knowing, tests us. Every condition in life is a test of our obedience to Him. Our thoughts, decisions, actions, reactions, and desires allow us to show our faith. These tests come in different degrees, but their purpose is obvious—to strengthen our faith and deepen our trust in Him, reassuring us of His presence and guidance in our lives. James puts it this way. Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything (James 1:1-4). 

Let’s take a moment to consider the unwavering faith of Job, a man God tested to the highest point of human endurance. In these trials, God was not discovering the quality of Job’s faith but affirming it. Job’s faith was not dependent on wealth, family, or physical well-being. It was a real-life lesson on how His faithful servants should love and walk with Him in absolute trust, no matter how terrible their challenge is. These trials often involve challenging circumstances that strengthen our faith, making it more resilient and unwavering. As Job said,

“But He [God] knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold” (Job. 23:10).

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego underwent fiery testing in King Nebuchadnezzar’s hands (Daniel 3:1-30). His seven-times heated furnace tested their faith; so, did the lion’s den test Daniel’s faith (6:10-18). Those testing declared their convictions of faith and trust in God’s sovereignty (vv.16-18). 

God delivered His servants to show His faithfulness to His loyal servants. However, in other challenging tests, God did not deliver many saints of sterling faith from trials, as recorded in Hebrews Chapter eleven. They stood in their faith till death swept them away into God’s eternal presence.

God, in His sovereignty, decides the fate of every servant He tests. He always knows the result from the beginning, yet He sets them up to display His glory, teach posterity in His dealings with His children, and teach them how to walk with Him by faith.

In Abraham, the father of faith, 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 not a statement of discovery, but that 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.

God does not design His tests to discover some unknown truth. They guide us to discover, learn, and grow in the knowledge of His Son, Jesus Christ. The purpose is growing to become like Him. Therefore, we should not fear trials but embrace them as opportunities for transformation and growth. The question is not if, but how to face testing.

Remember, His grace sustains us in the face of testing, and through His grace, we overcome and grow. Let us rely on His grace and trust in His plan for us. This grace is our comfort, our reassurance, and our strength in times of trial.