Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity. I have also trusted in the Lord; I shall not slip. Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my mind and my heart. (Psalm 26:1-2)
As we discussed in the previous devotion, testing is a certainty if we are going to be the people God has called us to be. There isn’t a single person in all of Scripture who wasn’t put to the test (sometimes, many tests) as God molded and shaped them into who and what He had called them to be. Even Messiah was put to the test: before He entered into ministry, He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be “tempted by the devil“ (Matthew 4:1). Before His crucifixion, He was tested as is evidenced by the prayer, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42). If the Messiah was put to the test, we shouldn’t think that we will be exempt from such.
There are times when we are put to the test to see what we will do — to see what is in our heart. As Moses told Israel, “God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not“ (Deuteronomy 8:2). But there are times when the testing is not so much about seeing if we will respond correctly but is about proving to us and to others that we will respond correctly.
There are times when the Bible reveals an important distinction between testing and proving. Abraham was tested many times to see what he would do; more often than not he responded correctly. Sometimes he didn’t respond so well; like when he failed to tell Pharaoh Sarah was his wife. But after his many trials and tests, the Bible says, “It came to pass after these things that God proved Abraham” — telling him to offer us Isaac as a burnt offering (Genesis 22:1). I would argue that this wasn’t so much a test to see IF Abraham would obey; it was God proving Abraham, which is to say, demonstrating to Abraham and the generations who would follow in his footsteps, what faith, trust and belief really looks like.
God knew what was in the man’s heart before He spoke to him on the matter but Abraham needed to know what was in his heart. Just as importantly, future generations needed to see what God expects of all who answer His call. As His people, we are to exemplify pure faith — a confidence to believe and trust God without holding anything back. This is for our benefit as well as serving as an example to others. So it is that David prays, “Examine me, O Lord, and prove me!” All who have been called will be tested, and so it stands to reason that all who have been tested must be proven. Are you ready?
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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