“The LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deuteronomy 13:3)

This life is truly a journey. I don’t believe that there is any human life that never when through hardships. From Kings to commoners, the cries will be the same, the cries of heartache and pain. So if you feel the difficulty which you are presently undergoing holds some kind of novelty, then let me remind you that there is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9).

When going through the challenges of life it might even cause us to question God similar to how John the Baptiste did in prison or Job, whose friends questioned if he was ever serving God in the first place (Job 42:7-9). for a surety challenges can make us question the Heavenly Father and even others around us.

When these trails happen and they will happen, Peter reminds us how to think and act.

1 Peter 4:12-19 (KJV)

12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

Peter was telling us that we now belong to Christ and are similar to Him. Just as He suffered and went home to glory, we will also suffer and go home to glory. In that, we are mirrors of our King, not only to reflect his Glory but also to mirror His life!

How can we expect God to send His Only Begotten Son to suffer for all humanity and we as adopted sons NOT expect to suffer for the benefit of ourselves and others? In trials we personally benefit because the trying of our faith worketh patience which brings us into perfection (James 1:3-4). Apart from being perfected, holding unto God and passing the test always results in a testimony, which we can use to testify and inspire others. Don’t take it personal and be affected by the “Why Me Syndrome!” , it is not about us, but it’s what the test can do for us/others that matters.

“His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men. The LORD tests the righteous” (Psalm 11:4-5)

Here we see again, where God’s word teaches that the Lord will test the righteous. Now I don’t want you to fall into the typical way of thinking that only difficult situations are tests. Because tests from the Lord come during times of difficulty and also in times of goodness, or as I like to classify and say, “our valley’s vs. our mountaintop experiences”. Think about that for a moment…

When God puts us through the wine press to test us, he is looking to see if we will walk away or call upon Him. In such a season when God is pressing the infirmities out, what we must do is call upon Him (Romans 10:13) and stay close to Him.

Then on the opposite end of the scale, when we are resting comfortably and Mount Everest is our dwelling, God tests us to see how well we relate to Him while flying high. Be reminded, that many times the people of Israel walked away from God when things were going very well with them. In those moments they soon forgot their God – (“But they soon forgot what He had done and did not wait for His plan to unfold. – Psalms 106:13 NIV)

God always tests us during conflicting seasons. Case in point:

  1. Job was tested when he had plenty and when he had nothing. When he had plenty, he was praying and serving the Lord and his family (Job 1:5) and when he had nothing he did not walk away from God (Job 2:9-10).
  2. David was tested as a boy to see how he would fight for and take care of his earthly father’s sheep (1 Samuel 17:34-36); he was also tested as a King to see how well he would take care of his Heavenly Father’s Kingdom.
  3. The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) shows how God tests individuals with little and also with much.
  4. Abraham’s faith was tested when he didn’t have a son, then Abraham’s faith was tested when he had a son.

What am I trying to express in this blog post? Treat everything in your life as if God is watching you and watching over you because he is. His intentions are to evaluate and elevate your faithfulness through these experiences.

Therefore, if you are going through trials today don’t give up and I want you to take heart. God has one eye on the thermometer and another eye on the thermostat (1 Corinthians 10:13), making sure you don’t get more than you can bear. On the other hand, if it is smooth sailing and clear skies for someone else, then don’t let complacency step in, because if it does, it might never leave. Lets show God that we are faithful in all seasons.

In closing, I leave you with this final encouragement and remind

Revelation 2:10 – “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

Your Brother in the Lord

Dane A. Miller

Author