TESTED
Prayer: Dear Lord, We are grateful today that You are with us in our tests. Thank You. Amen.
Scripture: This third I will bring into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, “They are my people,” and they will say, “The Lord is our God.” Zechariah 13:9 NIV
Wouldn’t it be nice if we could look ahead on our calendar and see when we are going to be tested? Perhaps we would get more sleep or eat better leading up to those weeks. Maybe even do a little extra studying or look over past tests to practice what might be coming our way.
Unfortunately, we do not know when our tests are coming; we just know that in our lifetime there will be times of tests and trials. Just like the tests we are administering to our students, our tests are more about the past than our future. Tests measure what we have already learned and evaluate how well we can reproduce and apply what we have learned. The same is true for God’s tests. How we react and respond to the test determines the areas that we have really learned and understand verses the areas that need some review or re-teaching. If we are not successful the first time, God usually gives us another opportunity to get it right.
Our tests are always open book tests. As a matter of fact, God encourages us to open our book, the Bible, and take as many notes as we want. There are no”Cliff’s Notes,” shortcuts, or cheating on these tests. You cannot just watch the movie nor have someone tell you the answers from an earlier class. You can study together and encourage one another as you go through the test, but no one can take it for you.
My daughter, Emily, gets “test stress.” She can know all the answers perfectly when we study at home and then bomb the tests at school. She was very excited to get to take our state’s tests for the first time last year – of course her older brother thought she was nuts. In order to help her through the tests I told her it was just an opportunity to show off what she had learned. It was a chance to show the state what great teachers she had and how much they had taught her. She was relieved that the tests would not count as a “grade.” She wanted the chance to please her teacher but not have her mistakes count against her final grade. I am sure you can see some more parallels here.
You have the ultimate teacher! Jesus even came and lived as an example to help you through your tests. Read your Bible and yes, even ask God for the answers.
My prayer for you is that you will be prepared to please your teacher during your times of testing.
Copyright Kathy Branzell. Email [email protected]