Psalms 66-67, Romans 7 • Key Verse: Psalm 66:10

We prefer being at ease in Zion. It’s nice to sit on padded pews in air-conditioned auditoriums. Our version of “life is hard” comes in the form of a street being closed for widening. We complain over being inconvenienced when the work is being done for our convenience! We’re at ease in Zion, blessed, enjoying the good life.

Then one day the plug is pulled. A doctor’s grim expression belies the test results. Downsizing is not just a word found in a book on business trends but in a note in the pay envelope. Your accountant calls; the ink in his pen is red. You reach for the motion sickness pills because your boat is now rocking. Life is no longer smooth sailing.

There are times when God rocks our boat, and with a good purpose. He wants to test us so that we will emerge from the experience better. The imagery the psalmist used is that of the process for refining silver. Silver is heated to the point of melting so the impurities float to the surface. Then they are skimmed off, leaving better-quality silver, a more pure metal.

God at times tests us to remove the wrong and the unnecessary from our lives. We may find that these tests increase our praying, strengthen our faith and cause us to reorder our priorities! The result is a better-quality Christian, one who has been tested and strengthened.

Times of difficulty are tough. Don’t try to escape them. Instead, learn the lesson(s) God may have for you in those times. Ask Him to give you the wisdom to know what He is teaching you.

Woodrow Kroll & Tony Beckett
www.backtothebible.in