Tests

I had been waiting all day for the call but when my phone finally rang my nervous fingers were unable to find it in my purse. I picked it up just as it stopped ringing. I immediately called back and was told that the person I was calling was unavailable but they would call me back the following day. I had learned my lesson so the next day I kept the phone in my pocket so I could both easily find and answer it. The call finally came mid afternoon. Then the unthinkable happened, though I was holding the phone and I could see that the call was the one I had been waiting for I was unable to answer it! My touch phone refused to respond to my touch! Neither did it respond to my pleas as I cried,"OPEN, OPEN, OPEN!!!" I used a different phone and called back only to be told, "I'm sorry but you have been unresponsive to two calls and the person to whom you wish to speak is now unavailable." Is this some kind of a test?

What is the purpose of a test? My son Andrew gave up his Christmas break so he could study for an important test. For days he was tested on what he had learned over the course of years. It was not a pleasant experience nor was it pleasant for him to wait for the results. The waiting to see if he knew and understood the material he had spent so much time studying.  The test Andrew took tested what he had learned and I'm grateful to say he passed but there is a different kind of test that reveals who you are.

The Psalmist says, "Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart." (Psalm 26:2) How does this examination take place? I think it takes place when I encounter situations that reveal the fact that I am not in control, like when I am holding the phone in my hand yet am unable to answer the call I've been waiting for. If I am completely given over to panic what does that say about what I believe?

"The crucible is for silver and the furnace for gold, and the LORD tests hearts."(Proverbs 17:3) The purpose for both crucible and furnace is to remove the impurities from these precious metals. I think in a similar way God allows pressures both great and small to reveal impurities within my heart.

O Heavenly Father, I do want You to examine me and prove me and test my heart but I do not like the process! I want You to remove the impurities that I know are hidden deep within me. Let Your refining fires burn until until You see Your reflection when You look into my heart.