Response to Tests: Whine, Recline, or Shine?

I have yet to meet anyone who enjoys taking tests. Yet life is full of tests, isn’t it? Students take exams, we take a test to qualify for a driver’s license, and we even refer to medical lab work as blood tests. Some organizations exist to make a profit from training others to take exams. And the goal of all test-takers is to pass their tests.

So how is testing related to the Christian life? Perhaps the bigger question is, Does God test or tempt or both?

Difference Between Test and Temptation

The Bible tells us that God is not the source of temptation. James 1:13 (NAS) makes this clear: “No one is to say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.”

But God does test His children. For example:

• “Remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, in order to humble you, putting you to the test” (Deut. 8:2 NAS).
• “The Lord’s throne is in heaven; His eyes see, His eyelids test the sons of mankind” (Psalm 11:4 NAS).
• “I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind” (Jeremiah 17:10 NAS).
• “Knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance” (James 1:3 NAS).

So what’s the difference between testing and temptation? Although the same Greek word can be translated test or tempt, the difference is in the purpose or goal. When God tests us, He wants us to pass the test. His goal is our spiritual growth and maturity. However, when Satan tempts us, he wants us to fail. The devil’s goal is for us to fall away and rebel against God’s best for us.

Three Possible Responses to Testing

When God tests us, we can respond in one of three ways. We can whine, recline, or shine.

We can whine.

Whining or complaining flows from a selfish focus. Consider Elijah’s response after his great victory over the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 19:14 (NAS): “The sons of Israel have abandoned Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they have sought to take my life.”

We can recline.

When a person is reclining, they are not expending any effort. A “reclining” attitude is willing to go along to get along, to take the path of least resistance. For example, in Genesis 12:12-13 (NAS), Abram feared for his life in Egypt and instructed his wife (who was also his half-sister), “When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. Please say that you are my sister so that it may go well for me because of you.”

We can shine.

While under intense times of testing and trials, we can shine by reflecting the power of the Holy Spirit who indwells us. We can reflect God’s glory as the moon reflects the sun’s light. Instead of being influenced by our circumstances, we can influence those around us. We can show others what it means to belong to the one, true, living God by drawing near to Him, relying on His strength, and allowing His Spirit to grow and mature us for His glory.

A right view of our times of trial and testing requires God’s perspective as we search His Word, listen to His Spirit, and seek godly counsel. Think of a trial or test you are experiencing. How are you responding? How do you want to respond? And how might your perspective need to change?