About
being humbled and tested…
Deut. 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. (NIV)
In
remembering how God leads us in our life, we need to recall His minute by minute
leadership in all we say, think, and do. One must wonder how these children of
God called the Jews were ever able to count their blessings during their desert
experience. Think about it. For forty years they wandered around in the dust,
dirt, sand, and heat of the desert with only manna to eat. They got sick of
eating the manna because of appetite fatigue. Before entering the Promised Land,
just about everyone of the older generation who had been slaves most likely had
died. When entering the Promised Land, any Jew under the age of thirty-nine
would have been born in the desert. When Moses went to the top of
Mt.
Sinai
, there
had been rebellion and apostasy of his people. However, under the leadership of
Moses, the Jews took their experiences as lessons. God was teaching them. God
was testing them. You cannot go to school without being tested and wandering in
the desert for forty years was an endurance test from God. In this endurance
test the children of God learned to be humble. They learned to be taught by God.
The Jews learned their endurance testing was administered by God to see how good
they were and how tough they were. In your life, God will place many tests
before you to see if you really are who you think you are or who you say you
are. People “say” they are Christians. Then God says, by way of His
endurance testing procedures, ”OK, let’s see how much of a Christian you
really are. Let’s see you put your faith into action beyond just your
words."
