6 reasons why you’re being tested by God
This is an article that offers an answer to the question of why does God tests us. All scripture reflects NIV translation.
As a physician, I’ve taken my fair share of tests. I’d spend weeks to months preparing for 6 to 8-hour-long exams. But, none of them live up to the tests given to me by God.
For one, you don’t always see them coming until you’re in the midst of it. And two, they seem hard because God’s testing is likely in an area that you’re already struggling in. We don’t get to pick our “strong subjects.”
Also, our spiritual tests often go with trials and tribulations. And although very necessary, none of us enjoy going through them.
In this article, we will cover what it means when God tests you, examples of Christians in the Bible who were tested, and tips on how you can pass your tests.
If you’re in the thick of a test right now, take heart. You’re in His loving and sovereign hands. He will not give you more than you can bear.
I hope this article encourages you as much as God has inspired me in writing it.
What does it mean when God is testing you?
One of the biggest mistakes I made as a younger Christian was to think life would get easier after I got saved. This was very wrong because this is when the work begins.
The work of making you more like Jesus. The work of God’s hands pruning, molding, and pressing you into the person He already knows you are.
So while we may not like them, testing from God is essential to your walk with Christ. As uncomfortable as they might be, it’s important to remember that God is never out to “get you.” He just loves you too much to leave you where you are.
He knows your gifts, talents, and your potential. The enemy knows them as well. As your creator and Father, it’s His job to be your coach cheering you on as you run your race of faith.
He’s correcting your form so you’ll be faster and taking you on rocky seas so you’ll know how to swim or sail in dangerous waters.
He sometimes takes you to the lowest valleys so you’ll be able to understand others when they’re there. It also produces a sense of humbleness when He brings you out.
I often think about Saul as I walk in my calling with God. When God first called Saul, he was timid. He was found hiding behind baggage when Samuel was casting lots in front of the tribes of Israel to reveal who God had chosen to be king.
However, somewhere along the road, Saul lost himself. We later see a prideful man disobedient to God and filled with jealousy and hate. He became desperate to hold on to power which God had to stripe him of because of his actions.
Saul failed his tests. God doesn’t want us to make the same mistakes. He is creating a heart of righteousness in you. A heart that will choose Him and His kingdom every single time.
A heart like David. An imperfect heart focused on God and not self, people, and the things of this world.
By the way, you can find Saul’s story in the bible starting at 1 Samuel 9.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/348606827422125383/Examples of God testing people in the Bible
Any time I’m going through a trial, I find myself trying to find someone in the Bible who went through something similar. I try to glean inspiration and encouragement from their stories while learning from any of their mistakes. It helps to know that you are not alone.
The Bible is filled with biblical characters that God refined through a series of His tests. Here are a few examples.
Abraham
Abraham and Sarah struggled with infertility. They found themselves elderly and without a child. But, God promised them a son. Sarah initially laughed thinking of their unlikely circumstances.
Yet, God being God, Sarah gave birth to Isaac at the age of 90 years old. This was a test of faith in and of itself. You could imagine the joy and awe the couple must’ve felt looking at Isaac.
However, God later tested Abraham. God asked Abraham to go to Moriah to sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering on one of the mountains.
I know right? Imagine Abraham’s shock. Yet, he was obedient without delay. The next morning, he started the journey taking Isaac as God had asked.
He tied Isaac and laid Him on the altar. Just as he took the knife, God’s angel appeared stopping him.
Because of His faithfulness, Abraham received the promise of God’s blessing. Take a look at the scripture below.
Genesis 22:15-18
The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,
I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”
The Israelites in the wilderness
The Isrealites were in bondage in Egypt. They cried out to the Lord and He heard them. God sent Moses to lead them to freedom.
They were tested many times and often failed. For example, there was nothing ordinary about their deliverance from Egypt. They watched God part a sea so they could cross on dry land. They watched that same sea close and swallow their enemies.
They didn’t have to lift one finger. Throughout the journey, God never left them leading them fire by night and cloud by day. However, when they got to the wilderness and there was no food, they started to complain.
In their complaint, they started to reminisce on what they had back in captivity. Test failed.
God provided food for them from Heaven with instructions. Each day, they were to gather the food they needed for that day only. However, on the sixth day, God told them to gather twice as much.
Some of them were disobedient and saved the food on days that weren’t the sixth day. Thus, they found the food spoiled and filled with maggots. But, when they did as the Lord instructed them on the sixth day, the leftover food was good.
Another act of disobedience was on the seventh day they were instructed not to go out and gather food as the food they gathered on the sixth day would carry them over. Some of them did so anyway and found nothing.
When you read about the Israelites and their disobedience, it can be easy to shake your head. But, we often do the same thing in our lives.
When trouble comes, we become worried and filled with anxiety wondering how or when something will get done. As a result, we go on a quest to try and fix our own situations snatching them from God’s hands. We forget his power, sovereignty, and how He brought us through in the past.
If this has convicted your heart, don’t be ashamed. God never shames. His convictions are only to teach us and bring us closer to Him.
Despite it all, God still had the Promised Land waiting on the Israelites.
Job
Job was a man who was tested heavily. He was a righteous man with a heart for God. Satan didn’t like this of course.
Satan asked God to test Job. The enemy was sure that Job would curse God to His face if God took everything away from him. And God did.
Job lost his wealth and children seemingly in the blink of an eye.
Yet, throughout his trials, Job remained faithful even when his wife thought he should give up and his friends begged him to repent of sins he hadn’t committed.
After his period of testing, God restored everything to Job twice over.
David
I spoke about Saul, the first king of Israel above. However, when Saul was stripped of the kingship, David was his replacement.
David was anointed as king at the age of about fifteen. He was the unlikely choice as he was small, but he had big faith. God put him through a series of tests before he assumed his role as king and shepherd of God’s people at the age of 30.
Jesus is known as the good shepherd. A good shepherd fights for, protects, and guides the sheep. Saul had failed to do this becoming filled with jealousy and self ambition.
After David was anointed, God sent him back to the fields to be a shepherd. While only a boy, he protected the sheep from lions and bears. This built his faith so that when Goliath became the threat, He knew how to trust God to take down giants.
All in all, God used the fifteen years to mold David into what he’s now known as…the man after God’s heart.
Why does God test us?
So as you can properly glean from the above, every one of God’s tests has a purpose. And that purpose is for your good and the good of God’s kingdom. But, here is a list of explanations to the question to bring it all home.
1. He loves you
My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.
2. He wants to build your faith
1 Peter 1:6-7
In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
Job 23:10
But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.
3. He wants to prepare you for your next season
Deuteronomy 8:2-3
Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.
He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
4. He wants to show you who He is and what He can do.
Deuteronomy 13:3-4
you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer.The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you lovehim with all your heart and with all your soul.
It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him.
John 6:5-6
When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.
5. He wants to show you who He created you to be
James 1:2-4
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Psalm 66:10-12
For you, God, tested us; you refined us like silver. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. You let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance.
6. He wants you to overcome sin
Exodus 20:20
Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”
How to pass God’s tests
As you can also probably learn from the above, after every test there’s a level up (if you pass). If not, you’ll be like the Israelites repeating the same test until you pass.
So, I don’t know about you, but I’d rather just take my tests one time. So here’s a “cheat sheet” God gave me. Isn’t He generous?
Pray fervently through your test
Prayer is a spiritual weapon. Pray and pray continuously through your trials for His wisdom, perspective, and strength.
Stay prepared for every test with daily bible study.
While we don’t know when a spiritual test will begin, we can stay prepared by seeking God daily. As you spend time with Him, you develop God’s mindset, his spirit of discernment, and the ability to stand firm on His truths.
Ditch your worldly perspective and take up God’s
When we go through tests (again often accompanied by trials and tribulations), it’s easy to become discouraged. However, if we look at tests the way that God does, we will celebrate them.
Because as the scriptures state, they come to refine us and make us better.
Don’t complain or doubt, just trust
After reading about the Israelites, I often ask God to help me not make the same mistakes they did. I don’t want you to either.
Like Abraham, trust Him at His word no matter how it looks. Abraham stated that we (meaning him and Isaac) would be back when speaking with his servants.
He knew what God had promised Him and trusted Him enough that He would keep His promise no matter the circumstances.
Be obedient to his guidance
Just to reiterate, learn from the Isrealites. Let God guide you as David did. It allows Him to complete the great work of molding you into the person He’s called you to be.
Surround yourself with other believers
Some tests are straight-up difficult. It helps to have a believer who understands and can pray with you through it.
Guard your heart
As you go through tests, ensure that you guard your heart. Job did this.
If you want to know how to guard your heart, check out the article I wrote on it! I hope it blesses you.
Learn to wait with patience
I’ll be the first to admit that waiting wasn’t a strength of mine. It may not be yours either. But, this was all before God taught me how to wait and the importance of waiting on Him.
I encourage you to read my article on the benefits of waiting on Jesus. Because once you do, you get to sit back and watch Him work. A privilege indeed.
Remain thankful
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
A thankful heart isf good medicine for the soul.
Remember Him
I really don’t mean to pick on the Israelites or Saul. But, don’t make their mistake and have things striped from you or be in the wilderness for 40 years on an otherwise 11-day journey.
When tough times come, remember who God is and what He’s capable of. Don’t focus on the problem and make it bigger. Focus on God and how big He is.
Final thoughts on why god tests us and how to pass His tests.
Well, that’s it for now. In this article, we have discussed what it means when God is testing you, why He’s doing it, and tips on how to pass your tests.
I hope this encourages you on your journey. If it has or if you have any tips to share, please let us know in the comments!
Until next time,
-Dr. Jay
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