Testing

 Genesis 20-22; Luke 8 

“’Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.’”

Luke 8:13

Everyone is tested. Abraham was tested by God after he received promises of a multitude of descendants and the land of Canaan. The son of promise, Isaac, was the point of the test. After Abraham passed the test, God swore by himself and repeated his promises to Abraham.

Why did God repeat his promises to Abraham for many years, and then test Abraham’s faith-response?

God’s Word requires a faith-response of obedience for it to be life-giving. The test the disciples faced on the stormy sea with Jesus was whether to put their faith in the boat, in themselves (several were experienced fishermen), or in Jesus. They flunked that faith-test and many tests afterward. When the soil of our heart is soft toward God, we are quick to obey and quick to repent. God’s Word and promises become rooted in our hearts as we meditate on it and respond in faith.

What describes the condition of our hearts?

How have we responded to our personal tests?

“Lord God, I repent for too often hardening my heart to your Word and your promises. I humble myself before you and choose to trust in your Word and Spirit in the tests, for your glory.”