Tests Are Part Of God’s Plan For All His Children

I didn't play baseball growing up but you don’t have to play to know it’s hard to hit a curve ball. I've seen excellent hitters look really bad when they swung at and missed a curve ball.  Of course, if the batter expects a curve ball he may whack it out of the park. For that reason good pitchers save their curve balls for when they’re least expected. The phrase, “to throw someone a curve ball” has become a part of our common vocabulary. It means to do something unexpected. I often hear people blame Satan for all the adversity in their lives. For some people that seems to be the default reaction when something bad happens. My hunch is Satan does that much less than people think. Something many of us don’t consider is that sometimes God brings adversity into our lives to test us. Yes, sometimes God throws us a curve ball. [Tweet "At times God intentionally brings adversity into our lives to test us"] What’s more, God does it regularly to His children Psalm 11:5. Here are 7 times God tested people in the Bible and how He tested them.

7 Tests By God in the Bible

1. Abraham to believe Him for his son’s life Genesis 22:1.
2. Israel to trust Him for their most basic need of water Exodus 15:25.
3. Israel to trust Him when they faced opposition Judges 3:1.
4. Israel to see if they would trust Him when they were afraid Exodus 20:15.
5. King Hezekiah to trust God even though he was powerful and rich 2 Chronicles 32:31.
6. Jesus tested His disciples by challenging them to do something really big John 6:6.
7. In the future He will test some Christians by allowing Satan to persecute and kill them Revelation 2:10.

[Tweet "God tests us to see if we will obey Him and trust Him"] Let’s take this list and imagine what those tests might look like today. Here are ways God might be testing us to trust Him today:

• when our child is seriously sick
• for our finances
• to help us deal with difficult people in our lives
• when we’re afraid of something in our life
• when all our needs are met and don’t need to trust Him
• when we have a dream to do something that seems impossible
• when our faith is seriously challenged

A metallurgist tests gold by putting it through a fire. The fire gets rid of impurities and makes the gold strong. If gold could talk, I think it would tell us it doesn't like going through fire. But the fire doesn't destroy it. It makes it stronger. So will God’s tests make me and you stronger! Job 23:10 The key to passing a test from God is simple but not easy. Don’t give up on God. Trust Him, stand firm! [Tweet "When God give us a test there are two correct answers. 1) Trust God 2) Obey God"] I’d love to hear from you. Please leave a comment or question below.