Reflection on “The Truth and Tests!” October 15, 2024
I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed. For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. For we are glad when we are weak and You are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for. 2 Corinthians 13:6-9.
When my Mother was in her 80s and living with me, she told me that she told me she hoped she would pass the test. I immediately decided she was confused. I tried to explain the testing days belonged to school years.
Then I saw the many times that test and testimony were found in the Bible. I read about Abraham. Not once, but several times it is listed. Each time God tests us, it is to wake us up to the reality of God.
“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Revelations 22:12-13.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6.
After Isaac was born, Genesis 22:1-2, after these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
Sometimes testing follows a different path. I often wondered how stung Abraham was when Isaac looked up at his father and asked this question. And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So, they went together. Genesis 22:7-8.Abraham believed, and trusted God. And Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. Abraham took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” Genesis 22:13-14.
Do you hear the echo? And when Jesus was baptized, immediately He went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on Him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:16-17.
By doing the right thing as ordained by God, we can be assured of eternal life! Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord, you will receive the inheritance as your reward. Colossians 3:23-24.
Weak and strong, which do you work for? But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. I Corinthians 1:27-29.
For we are glad when we are weak, and You are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for. For this reason, I write these things while I am away from you, that when I come, I may not have to be severe in my use of the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down. 2 Corinthians 13:9-10.
Apostle Paul wrote this to Christians, knowing our need for humility in each of us to look to the strength of the Lord God, His One and only Son, and the Holy Spirit!
The word discouragement comes from courage. After Moses died, The Lord spoke to Joshua, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9.
When I found this promise from Jesus, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20.
To have the assurance of God’s Love, through the sacrifice of God’s Only Son, Jesus, is when we believe and trust Him. The Children of Israel complained to Moses about dying in the wilderness after leaving Egypt. And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” Exodus 24:13-14.
Indeed, another verse suggests we be still. “Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Psalm 46:10-11.
Discouragement is when we need to follow this verse: Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! Psalm 139:23.
If we want immediate confirmation of what we do, we are in danger of being discouraged. Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in Him, because we trust in His holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in You. Psalm 33:20-21.