WORDTIPS: WILL GOD TEST OUR FAITH?
DEFINITION OF FAITH
Will God test us? Faith Defined
“.. faith is the certainty of things hoped for, a proof of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1 -NASB) What is hope? It is a confident expectation on UNSEEN things. The Scripture says that to hope on something that we see is not hope at all (Romans 8:24). So, FAITH is to see the reality of unseen things that are expected and to receive them before they are manifested outwardly. In short, Faith is to see and receive the unseen.http://Will God Test our Faith- video message in Tamil: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqDjnQapNuU
FAITH IN GOD IN COUNTRIES ACROSS THE WORLD
Countries that believe in God or do not believe in God
Though surveys show that more than 85% of the world population have faith in God, we find that the countries whose economic status and GDP per capita is on the upsurge have less inclination in their faith on God while the underdeveloped and growing countries have escalated in their faith in God.
Yeah, the Scripture records that those who are satiated are proud about their accomplishments and despise God. They do not need Him. They are too proud to seek Him. There is no room for God in all his thoughts (Psalm 10:3-4).
But beware grown-up nations. The Lord is mindful of the afflicted and the needy and He delivers them (Psalm 40:17). The Lord provides those who fear Him (Psalm 111:5; Psalm 34:9-10).
The Lord protects those who are under His shelter (Psalm 91:1).
Here I have compared the survey from the ‘PEW RESEARCH’ and the data from the ‘THE WORLD BANK’ about the faith of the nations in comparison with their GDP per capita as on 2019 and 2020.
(https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2020/07/20/the-global-god-divide/;
WILL GOD TEST OUR FAITH?
Yes, God tests our faith. The Scripture says that the Lord tests the righteous (Psalm 11:5), and blessed is the one who endures the tests and succeeds in passing them for he will receive the reward that the Lord has promised (James 1:12). There is a direct verse that says that God tested Abraham (Genesis 22:1). Job questions God saying, “What is man, that You should exalt him, That You should set Your heart on him, That You should visit him every morning, And test him every moment?” (Job 7:17-18)
All that we need when God tests us is
i) Participate in the test – don’t run away without appearing for the exam (2 Corinthians 13:5-6)
ii) Endure and sustain – don’t quit half-way through (James 1:12)
WHY DOES GOD TEST US?
i) TO KNOW WHAT IS IN OUR HEART – He wants to know and even makes us know about us only through tests (Deuteronomy 8:2). Even when God knew where Adam was, He asked him, “Adam, where are you?” to let him know his own state (Genesis 3:9).
ii) TO PROVE OURSELVES TO GOD – We often easily articulate that we will do this and that but only the test of our faith proves who we are. After testing Abraham, God said, “..now I know that you fear God..” (Genesis 22:12)
iii) TO DEVELOP OUR PATIENCE AND THEREBY BECOME PERFECTED – (James 1:2-4) If we are not patient as in the parable of the Sower who sowed on the stony ground, they received the Word with joy but when troubles came they quickly failed away (Matthew 13:20-21).
iv) TO PRACTISE TO FACE THE ENEMY (Judges 3:1-2)
v) TO PROVE OUR STEADFASTNESS TO THE ENEMY – God never tests us with evil (James 1:13), but at times allows Satan to test us with evil to prove that we are steadfast in Him (Job 1:11-12; Job 2:3-6)
vi) TO STRENGTHEN OTHERS WHO GO THROUGH SUCH TESTS – (Luke 22:31-32)
FAITH EMBRACES ANTICIPATION
In order to receive anything through Jesus Christ we need FAITH. When the two blind men called on Him, Jesus touched their eyes and said, “It shall be done for you according to your faith” (Matthew 9:29) and immediately their eyes were opened. When the centurion prayed for his servant, Jesus said, “Go! As you have believed, so will it be done for you”, and his servant was healed that very hour (Matthew 8:13). When the woman with the issue of blood touched Jesus, He turned to her and said, “Take courage, daughter, your faith has healed you”, and the woman was cured from that very hour (Matthew 9:22). When the Canaanite woman asked Jesus to heal her daughter who was severely tormented by a demon, her faith was tested and when she had passed it, Jesus said, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted”, and her daughter was healed at that same moment (Matthew 15:22-28). We can quote many such examples from the Gospels of Jesus Christ.
We read in the Scriptures that it is impossible to please God without faith (Hebrews 11:6). No other attributes of us like obedience, perseverance, humility, etc can please God but faith. So, faith is an inevitable stuff in our walk with God. But it is quite hard to know that tests help us build and grow our faith.
HOW DOES GOD TEST OUR FAITH?
i) THROUGH COMMANDS – God tested Abraham by commanding him to offer Isaac as a sacrifice and Abraham passed the test (Genesis 22). God commanded Moses to speak to the rock the second time and Moses failed the test (Numbers 20:8-11). God sent Manna from heaven for the Israelites in the wilderness and tested them by instructing them to collect it only for one day each (Exodus 16:4) but some of them gathered more and it rotted and smelt bad (Exodus 16:20).
When Abraham was instructed to leave his nation and go, he did not know anything but went without question by faith (Genesis 12:2; Hebrews 11:8). When Noah was asked to build an ark when they had never seen any rain or flood, Noah built the ark without any query (Genesis 6:13-22).
When God asked Elijah to go to Zarephath to be fed by a widow there, he did not question God back. Elijah was actually running away from Jezebel and now God asked him to go and hide himself in Jezebel’s home town. It may sound crazy but Elijah went and stayed there safe for nearly three years (1 Kings 17:10-18:1).
In all these tests we see that the examination included unreasonable (speak with the rock), absurd (go to Jezebel’s home town) and unfair (sacrifice your son) commands. But when these commands were obeyed, we see that God was NOT unreasonable, absurd or unfair to His subjects but rather compassionate and extravagant.
ii) THROUGH SUFFERINGS – The apostle Peter writes that if now for a little while we are vexed with griefs, let us rejoice for the genuineness of our faith is being proved as a gold is proved with fire. The outcome of this test will be praise, honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:6-7). We ought to confidently say as Job, “When He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” (Job 23:10)
a) Man’s own evil desires drags and entices him (James 1:14). As we already saw, God never tests us with evil (James 1:13).
b) Satan challenges God of our genuineness and brings sufferings with the permission of God as in the case of Job (Job 1:11-12; Job 2:3-6).
c) God admits sufferings to correct and turn us back to Him as in the case of Jonah (Jonah 1:17; Jonah 2:7) and David (2 Samuel 24:1, 14, 17).
If life is undemanding, man will never need faith and will never grow in it. Sometimes God removes the feeling of His presence and we feel we are all alone through the fire. Let us never panic. The Bible never promises NIL sufferings. It promises that God will be with us through the water and the fire (Isaiah 43:2). But when we are through it, people will see God walking with us as in the case of Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah (Daniel 3:25).
iii) WITH MONEY – God wants to know who our Master is – God or money? Jesus clearly says that we cannot serve two masters – God and wealth (Matthew 6:24). Money itself is not evil but the love for money is (1 Timothy 6:10). Jesus comes up with a question saying, “If then you haven’t been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will entrust you with the true riches?” (Luke 16:11) If we are not trustworthy of our earthly property, family, job and other responsibilities which are not ‘true riches’, how can He trust us with Himself and His unsearchable riches?
Also, the test for the sincerity of our love for God and His works lies in our giving to God and His ministries (2 Corinthians 8:7-8). We prove our love for God and the church through our giving, says the Word of God (2 Corinthians 8:24).
God calls us to put Him to test through our giving (Malachi 3:10). He says bring your tithes and test me and see if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out such a blessing that there will not be room enough to receive. Elijah asked the widow of Zarephath to bring her first cake to him so that her flour and oil will not exhaust throughout the drought and it happened so (1 Kings 17:13-16).
iv) BY MAKING US WAIT FOR LONG– Though the road to Canaan from Egypt through the land of the Philistines was shorter, God led them around through the wilderness. This was because the Philistines were violent warriors and if they faced war the Israelites might tend to return back to Egypt (Exodus 13:17-18). The Scripture says that He led them through those forty years to humble them and test them (Deuteronomy 8:2). But the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light (Exodus 13:21-22).
When Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus that Lazarus was sick and called Him for help, He did not hurry but stayed back and went on the fourth day. The reason was to maximize His glory by not just healing the sick but raising the dead and also to increase their faith (John 11).
Abraham had to wait for 25 years to get his promise fulfilled. But by the time Isaac was born Abraham’s faith had increased to an unfathomable level that he could even sacrifice Isaac for God.
TESTS DO NOT DESTROY BUT ESTABLISH US
These tests are not life-long assignments, but the Word of God calls them as ‘Suffering for a little while’, ‘light and momentary afflictions’, etc. The tests that we go through never wipes us out but through it all God perfects, establishes, strengthens and settles us (1 Peter 5:10). They bring eternal glory that we cannot compare with anything else in this world (2 Corinthians 4:17).
To pass all of God’s tests effortlessly, we must trust God that He will not allow anything more than we can ever handle and He will for sure provide a way for us to come out of it all (1 Corinthians 10:13).
