Questioning & Testing

Posted On October 9, 2022

“Guide me in your truth and teach me,
 for you are God my Savior,
 and my hope is in you all day long.”

Psalm 25:5 NIV

“Getting older does not automatically mean that we are getting wiser. We have to work at it. A regular practice of reading the Bible, praying and listening for God’s response are good places to start. But we have to do more than go through the motions.”

Ty’Ann Brown

As students in school, we expect to study new concepts that challenge our current ideas, ask questions to gain better understanding, and correct any mistakes we make along the way. We also expect to be tested often, not just to demonstrate our knowledge, but to grow as learners. The same can be said of our role as Christians.

“Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

2 Peter 3:18 NIRV

God wants us to grow spiritually, and that requires effort on our part. It is the job of the Holy Spirit to teach us and transform us into Christ’s image-bearers, but He can’t do His job if we don’t cooperate with Him. Like students in school, we must remain teachable and willing to learn hard lessons. And we must put in the work. Sitting back and expecting change to just happen will leave us feeling stuck. Our spiritual journey is just that: a journey. We must keep moving forward if we are going to get anywhere.

“God wants you to experiment — with different ways of studying his Word, different teachers, different mediums. Learning is central to faith…. So experiment away: Order a new version of the Bible, switch up your prayer practice, question a long-held belief. And do it with an enthusiastic heart.”

Ty’Ann Brown

“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.“

James 1:5-6 NLT

One vital part of learning that we sometimes overlook in our spiritual growth is asking questions. Maybe we feel it’s wrong to question God, but that depends on our motives. If we are asking in order to grow our faith and learn more about God and His will, then He welcomes our questions. As a teacher myself, I would much rather have a student come to me for help understanding something than to struggle alone to the point of giving up. God feels the same way.

“How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you.”

Isaiah 30:19 NIV

The main thing God desires is a relationship with us. So, if we are struggling, He wants us to come to Him for help, and He promises to give us the wisdom we need. We just need to come to Him in faith, believing that He hears us and that He will answer. Because He will. He has answered me many times in surprising ways, and that’s what makes the journey so exciting! That’s what makes me want to learn more and more. The same can be true for you, too. So ask away! And then listen for His answer. I’m willing to bet He will blow your mind!

“While memorizing Scripture can soothe and inspire us, learning from God requires constant rethinking and refocusing. It requires asking questions. God is not intimidated by them; in fact, questioning God can help you build a deeper, more intimate relationship with him.”

Ty’Ann Brown

“Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it.” 

2 Corinthians 13:5 MSG

As a college student, I took a few classes in which the final exam was optional. So, of course, I didn’t bother to take it. But I discovered later that I didn’t retain as much from those classes. Testing forces us to focus on the most important skills and concepts and to practice them. The same is true for us as Christians. If we want to become more patient, we must practice patience. But we must also face stressful situations in which patience is required — in other words, we must have our patience tested — in order to see how much progress we’ve actually made.

“You have tested us, O God; you have purified us like silver.”

Psalm 66:10 NLT

Anything God is trying to develop in us will require testing, whether it’s patience, kindness, love, faith, or some other virtue. Like a concept in school, until it’s tested, we don’t really know our current mastery of it. If we pass the test, great! Then we’ve demonstrated that we are ready to move on to harder lessons. But if we fail the test, we shouldn’t just give up. We are expected to learn from our mistakes and do better next time. That’s how we learn. That’s how we grow. As long as we are willing to keep trying, God will be able to help us progress. The key is to never give up. Because God will never give up on us!

“We can learn from our past mistakes, but we shouldn’t dwell on them. Similarly, it is good to be happy about our past achievements, but we shouldn’t dwell on them either. God is always making things new, and when we place our trust in Christ, we can hold on to the hope of the beautiful things that are still to come.”

Amobichukwu Samuel Duruaku

This week’s Scripture passages remind us that God calls us to come boldly before Him and ask for the help that we need to keep moving forward. He invites our questions, and He promises to give us wisdom, understanding, and grace. The Holy Spirit is our Teacher and Guide on this journey, and He will prepare us to face the tests ahead. He will transform us to be more and more like Christ, so that one day we will graduate from this life into the next and hear Him say, “Well, done!”

“As soon as you accept Jesus as your Savior, a transformation begins in you, conforming you to His likeness…. we know that when Jesus transforms our minds, it means He even changes the way we process information. So let Him. And join Him in the process by being in His Word every day.”

Charles F. Stanley

References:

• Brown, Ty’Ann. “Back to School.” Guideposts, August/September 2022, p. 16.
• Duruaku, Amobichukwu Samuel. “Forget Your Past Mistakes.” The Upper Room, vol. 88, no. 4, September/October 2022, p. 46.
• Stanley, Charles F. God’s Purpose for Your Life: 365 Devotions. Thomas Nelson, 2020.

Images:

• Dusty Black Chalkboard Background image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
• Light Bulb and Chalkboard image by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/clear-light-bulb-placed-on-chalkboard-355952/
• Question Mark image by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/question-mark-on-chalk-board-356079/
• Clean Black Chalkboard Background image by Oberholster Venita from Pixabay