Expect a Test

DT 8:2 Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.

Sometimes we are not ready for something new until we have passed God’s test.  Since God knows everything, His tests are intended to reveal to us the character of our own hearts (see also 2 Chronicles 32:31).

At the inauguration of Jesus’ ministry, there was a testing in the desert that involved a forty day fast and temptation by the devil (Matthew 4:1-11).  The Bible contains many references to times of testing (often tied to the number forty) before the start of a new thing.

• It rained for forty days and forty nights causing the Great Flood before the rebirth of humankind through Noah and his family.
• Moses was on the mountain with God for forty days and nights without food or water before delivering the stone tablets with the commandments inscribed by God.
• The Israelites spied out the land for forty days (a test they failed).
• Israel was in the wilderness for forty years before entering the Promised Land.
• For forty days Goliath taunted the Israelites before David’s victory on the battlefield.
• Elijah traveled for forty days and nights to reach the Mountain of God before his great experience there.

It is no wonder that Christians often choose to fast before launching out in a new direction.  During that period of denying oneself a “testing” takes place where the true character of the heart can be revealed.  A believer can judge more easily whether his or her motives are in line with the will of God.

The fact is that one sort of a test or another is often necessary before engaging in any new venture.  Be ready as God works in you to prepare you for that which lies ahead.