Thoughts for another day

Feb. 21, 2013.

Today's verse: Ps. 27:14. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. (KJV)

(Pls. read the above before you read further.  Thanks)

Rare is the saint of God who hasn’t been in turbulent water while following the LORD and Master, Jesus Christ.   Just why the Lord tests His people, particularly because, being Omniscient, He knows everything about them and therefore, He doesn’t need to test to know whether they’ll be faithful to Him.  But then, is the test for Him to know about us or is it for something else?

In probably the pinnacle of testing in the Bible, when God tests Job, He already knew the outcome but satan didn’t.  For satan to know, God imposed the test on Jacob.  Looking at this, one is inclined to say then that God is unfair.  But is He?  The Bible says in Job 1:1, ‘There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and he was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.’  Now the question, if Job was perfect and upright, how can it be found that he was so?  It can be done only by testing him and in that test, not only satan learnt this, but Job also learnt something about himself, which he never would had he not been tested.  You see, it’s only under severe testing that the character of a man is both, determined and shaped.  And when we say we have faith in God, how can it be verified unless that faith is tested.  Remember, the more severe the test, the greater is the extent of faith and also the blessing.  God gives us the test so we may know our mettle.

But what to do when one is under a severe trial?  Our Scripture today has the clue: ‘Wait on the LORD.’  My friend, no matter what the test is, if you have faith, you’ll wait on the Lord.  Believe me, it’s difficult and there may be times when your faith looks like shreds of paper and you want to give up, but fret not for God is able to deliver.  He will work when you trust Him and have laid yourself on the line in trusting Him.  Believe that He will do it for you and eventually, the whole trial will be just an occasion for you to testify of His goodness; and strengthen those who are also being tried.