God is all-knowing, so if inclined, God has the ability to know what choice we will make when He puts us to the test, so why test us? Maybe the testing is not for God’s benefit but rather for our benefit, and/or for those whom we are examples. Our response to God’s test could help ground our faith or prompt us to seek answers in His Word, to seek Him in prayer, or to cast our anxieties on Jesus, things that solidify our trust and deepen our root system.

Realizing our failures can have the same effect. We may not realize we are being tested, but each of us knows in our hearts whether we are doing right or wrong. Abraham was put to the test with his choice regarding sacrificing Issac.

As Abraham passed the test, he gained from the trial. If God were so inclined, He could know whether Abraham would pass the test, but in Abraham’s case, we learn from his story and his example to this day.

As the rooster crows three times, Peter failed his test, and Jesus knew he would. Still, in his disappointment and sorrow, Peter became even more committed after Jesus returned and later ascended into heaven—another example to all who read his story. Even Jesus was tested, but because He knew scripture, He answered the test with scripture.

Let us study so that we may confront the test with God’s Word in our hearts.

  • 1 Thessalonians 2:4
  • 1 Peter 1:7
  • James 1:3
  • Deuteronomy 13:3
  • James 1:12-13
  • Matthew 4:1-11
  • 1 John 4:1
  • Genesis 22:1–19
  • Hebrews 11:17-19
  • 1 Peter 1:7-9
  • Acts 1:9-12
  • 2 Timothy 2:15

God First!