Testing God...

"You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested Him at Massah."--Deuteronomy 6:16.  Here Moses is reminding them not to test God's goodness as they did when Moses struck the rock in Exodus 17:1-7.

Testing God.  There is no doubt Israel had a faith problem.  When things got tough, they began to question God and assumed God was not looking out for them.  This is when God would act to show a faithless generation that He is God.

Testing God.  Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:16 when He is challenged by the devil to throw Himself off the pinnacle of the temple knowing that God would protect Him.

Testing God.  I bring the above two short paragraphs out to show a contrast.  Israel had the faith problem and therefore felt they needed God to prove He was with them as opposed to being certain of what they did not see (Hebrews 11:1-2).

Testing God.  Jesus knew God was with Him and did not need to throw Himself off the pinnacle of the temple for God to prove that to Him.

So what does this mean to us?

As we look at the contrast between Israel and  Jesus, we can see where we are in Israel and in Jesus we can see where we need to be.

Testing God.  We might read the Scriptures and wonder why Israel gives up on God so easily when things get tough but then when we look in the mirror, we see that maybe we are not any different.  How often are we guilty of thinking God is not doing what He said He would do when we face adversity? But the beautiful thing is it does not have to be this way.  We all can have a confidence and faith in God that can go far beyond what Israel's was.  Having this kind of faith is not impossible.

Testing God.  So my encouragement to you is this.  Simply trust that when times get tough, God will prevail. This does not mean we should not pray but this also means that we are not to assume God is not going to act on our behalf in some form or fashion.  Encourage others with this fact and remind them, you shall not put the Lord your God to the test.

DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!