Tested and True

This past weekend I took the final class to complete my training to be a life and success coach. I had to sit in on sixty hours of training, read thirteen books by experts in the field, write papers on each book plus an additional five or six papers, spend hours being evaluated by a master coach and then at the very end I had to pass a comprehensive test. Without any of the previous steps I could not have passed the test. The test was important, because it reflected all of the previous work I had put in. It was a measurement of how effective I can be as a coach. If I didn’t pass the test, I couldn’t be certified.

As for God, his way is blameless. The word of the Lord is tested; He is a shield to all who take refuge in him. For who is God, besides the Lord? And who is a rock, besides our God? 2 Samuel 22:31-32

David spoke these words, recorded by his friend and the prophet of God, both of whom had tested God and found him faithful. God, and his word, had been tested. When enemies surrounded David, God proved faithful. When Samuel needed guidance in choosing Israel’s king, he turned to God, and God proved faithful. This testing proved the character and worth of God and his word.

What do you need shielding from today? Are you being assaulted by pain? Attacked by doubt or despair or depression? Are you in need of a solid rock to hold on to in the shifting sands of your life today? As the ground moves beneath your feet, turn to God and hang on. He has been tested, and he passed!

Too often when my finances are short (again!) or I feel inadequate to whatever task is in front of me, when I feel like I’ve bitten off more than I can chew or chewing seems too painful, I rely on my own resources instead of turning to the God who passed the test. I am now a life coach, but I am not God. That’s one test I fail every time.

David asks, “Who is God, besides the Lord?” David figured it out. He could not do God’s job. He could only be David, weak and insufficient except when he relied on God. When I rely on my own resources, I will fail. It’s God’s job to strengthen me, to work in his own way and time, and it’s my job to rely on him. When I don’t turn to him and his tested word, I am putting myself in his place, doing his job, and being God unto myself. This is idolatry. It is worship of myself in place of God.

He is the only rock we can lean on. He is the only strength that is sufficient. He is the only security that is real. He passes every test. Trust him. Let him do his job.