Day 16

The test of how much we trust God comes when we don’t know what is going on and are walking blindly.

‘The LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul.’ (DEUTERONOMY 13:3)

Watchman Nee, the famous Chinese Christian writer, once said that Christians should be like tea – when they get into hot water all the goodness should come out. For the Israelites in the wilderness, the hot water repeatedly brought out a spirit of grumbling.

During the 40 years in the wilderness, Moses explained to the Israelites that the Lord was testing them to expose what was in their hearts. The tests only exposed the ugliness of their hearts, for they constantly grumbled against Moses, failing to understand their trials had purpose.

When we’re faced with difficulties in life, we can either turn to grumbling or turn to God. Trials and testing reveal our hearts, not to embarrass us or humiliate us when we grumble, or to congratulate us when we turn to God, but so that we learn the truth about ourselves. You may be facing a difficulty right now – economically, physically, or emotionally. Are you giving in to the temptation to lash out and grumble, or are you embracing your challenges as a means of trusting God and experiencing Him more fully?

Ask honestly whether you are grumbling in your trials, or trusting God.