Advice I had to give myself.

I frequently say to people going through some kind of trouble, “You’re being tested. But it is not a test of your worth. You are priceless; that has already been determined. It is not a test of how smart you are, or how strong, or how well you respond under pressure. It is a test of your faith.”

This idea is found throughout Scripture, but never is it more clearly stated than in James 1:3: “…the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” The difficulties we experience are a test of our faith, not our intelligence or our proficiency. Will we trust the Lord in this new difficulty, or will we trust ourselves, or will we put our trust in the cultural gods de jour?

I have said something like this to many people. This week, I needed to say it to myself.

It’s not that I endured some earth-shaking, soul-disturbing trial. I’ve not been diagnosed with some terrible disease, my wife hasn’t left me (or threatened to), and I don’t need to worry about where my next meal is coming from. The tests that came my way are smaller, everyday kinds of trials—the kinds all of us face.

Trials do not need to be big ones to be a test of faith. Any trial can reveal faith, as a calculus test reveals math proficiency. In the test, do I look to God and entrust myself and my situation to him, or do I look to myself or to some other source of help?

Over the weekend, my laptop began shutting off without warning, as if the battery was depleted, though it was still half-charged. This had happened before, and I had replaced the battery. Now it was happening again.

Windows offered an error message and I followed the QR code to suggested fixes. Atop the list was, “Reset the BIOS.” I did this almost without thinking, though I took care to save my personal files. But because I was using an old, local version of Microsoft Office rather than the 365 subscription the church offers, I (temporarily) lost 1,000 email addresses and many thousand emails. I also lost (temporarily) a very expensive Bible scholar’s software package and my wireless connection to our very obstinate printer. It took me days to get this worked out.

Before my computer was fully functional, my car suddenly began running roughly. Gas mileage dropped drastically. I took it to the dealer, who informed me that the car needed a ring job. The car they would offer $7,000 for as a trade-in (if it were in excellent condition) would cost $5,100 to repair. What was I supposed to do? What would be the wise move? The money didn’t worry me. Making a foolish decision did.

When the computer lost (permanently, for all I knew) important programs and data, I started wracking my brain for how I could fix the problem. Did I need a specialist to look at it? When the car repair estimate came back – once I got over the shock – my mind began racing around, looking for a solution. What I did not do in either case, at least right away, was look to God and entrust myself and my situation to him.

I’m ashamed to say that I didn’t practice what I preach—at least, not immediately. Instead, my mind raced, I went searching for solutions, and I got stressed out. But the next morning, it dawned on me that these run-of-the-mill, everyday kinds of hardships were a test of faith. I almost laughed. Would I trust God and give him thanks? I would.

You don’t need to be tried like Abraham – told to sacrifice your own son – to have your faith tested. All you need to do is lose 1,000 email addresses or face a difficult decision without enough information to make a wise choice.

Whether we find ourselves in ordinary situations like those, or extraordinary situations like Abraham’s, it is important to remember that it is our faith that is being tested, not our worth or strength, or any such thing. Will we trust God? That is the question.

If we pass the test, whether in small or great things, we will reap immediate benefit. Our faith will be strengthened, and we will find it easier to trust God in the next trial. Each time we pass such a test, our faith (which is worth more than gold, according to St. Peter) is attested, and we become more confident and joyful—even in challenging times. The payoff for passing the test of faith truly is worth more than gold.

The songwriter Michael Card captured something of this in his song, In the Wilderness. He wrote of God, “He calls His sons and daughters to the wilderness. But He gives grace sufficient to survive any test. And that’s the painful purpose of the wilderness. And that’s the painful promise
of the wilderness.”

When Christians are in the wilderness, whether the wilds of illness, financial challenge, or relational struggle, it is faith that is being tested. If we will look to God and entrust ourselves and our situations to him, we will pass the test. That will bring God glory, but it will make us stronger and will open the door to joy.