Are You Being Tested?
Over the next few weeks, students across different year levels are being assessed, not just academically, but in terms of character too. It is a stressful time. It raises a deeper question: Does God test people? And if so, what is He testing for?
The Bible shows us that God does test us, but unlike school exams, He does not give us a timetable. His tests come at unexpected times and serve different purposes. I can think of three kinds of tests God gives us:
1. God Tests Us to Show Our Limitations
I said in my heart, ‘Concerning the condition of the sons of men, God tests them, that they may see that they themselves are like animals.’
- Ecclesiastes 3:18
We are finite beings. Like animals, we have limits, physical, emotional, and mental. God sometimes allows situations that remind us we are not all-powerful. These tests help us realise our need for something greater than ourselves. When we discover our limits, we often reach for the infinite to show us that we are not God but need God.
2. God Tests Us to Reveal Our True Character
But, O LORD of hosts, You who judge righteously, Testing the mind and the heart…
- Jeremiah 11:20
We all have ideas about who we are. But it’s in times of stress and pressure that our true selves emerge. God’s tests often reveal what’s really in our hearts. Personally, I’ve failed many of these tests. I’ve seen things in myself I didn’t like, ugliness in my thoughts and character. It is confronting. To be honest, I’m not even good enough for myself, let alone for God. But here is the good news: Jesus.
I thank God every day that Jesus gave His life for me, taking the punishment for my sins and shortcomings. I’m not good enough for the eternal perfection God offers, but Jesus makes me good enough. He takes my sin and gives me His Spirit.
3. God Tests Us to Shape Us
The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold,
but the LORD tests the hearts.
- Proverbs 17:3
God uses testing times to refine us, like fire purifies gold. These tests burn away the “slag” in our lives: selfishness, pride, fear. They push us to depend on Him. God’s goal is not just to expose us, but to transform us, to help us recover our lost humanity and become who we were truly meant to be.
So yes, God does test us.
Not to fail us, but to reveal, refine, and redeem us.