Encouraging Words for When You Face a Test

Tests make me nervous. In fact, I remember lying in fourth grade to skip writing a math test. I’d been sick with the flu for several days prior, and on the day of my return to school, the teacher plunked a math test on my desk. I took one look at it, felt the fear of failure sweep over me, and knew escape was my only option if I hoped to survive elementary school.

“I think I’m going to throw up,” I told the teacher. No joke.

“You’d better run to the bathroom, then,” she said. I dashed down the hall, locked myself in a bathroom stall, and then wondered what to do next.

A minute or two later, I heard the door open and my teacher’s voice say, “Grace, are you okay? I’ve asked the principal to take you home because you’re probably not over the flu yet.”

Sure enough, the principal drove me home and handed me over to my mother. Somehow, I managed to fool her, too. I must have been one very desperate child to go to that extent to avoid taking a test.

It’s test time…

Academic tests can be stressful, but they’re necessary to see how well we’re learning the lessons we need to know. Sometimes our heavenly Father presents us with tests of a different sort but for the same purpose.

Take the Israelites, for example. Exodus 16:4 says,

“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Look, I’m going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day. I will test them in this to see whether or not they will follow my instructions.’”

Every morning, the flaky substance called manna appeared on the ground. And every morning, the people gathered as much as their households needed for that day. Those who gathered alot had nothing left over. And those who gathered a little had enough. Each family had just what it needed. (Exodus 16:17-18)

God wanted the Israelites to trust His care and ability to provide for their needs. It looked as though they understood and were headed for a passing grade. But then came the test. “Do not keep any of it until morning,” said Moses.

Pass or Fail

Some students passed. Others failed because they picked up more than they needed and stashed it overnight. When they woke up and went to retrieve their breakfast, they discovered a big, fat “F” on their test paper. The stored-up manna was full of maggots and had a terrible smell.

The test results revealed that, in the deepest part of their hearts, the people didn’t fully trust God to provide. Thankfully the failing grade influenced them to change their ways:

“After this the people gathered the food morning by morning, each family according to its need” (Exodus 16:21).

They’d seen God provide faithfully in the past, and they knew they could trust Him for the future.

Financial tests

As a missionary living on faith support, God tests me regularly in this regard. Do I trust Him to meet our financial needs? Just when I feel as though I’ve mastered this lesson, a major financial need arises: the car breaks down, our boat-home needs repairs, or a molar breaks.

My human nature wants to rush out to find a “real job.” But then I remember that God promises to provide for our needs. I can choose to rely on my own efforts, or I can do things God’s way and trust Him to keep His word. My response determines my grade. Will I pass or will I fail and have to relearn the lesson?

Tests come in all shapes and sizes

God asks us to trust Him with our kids’ well-being. He asks us to trust Him with a recent medical diagnosis. He asks us to trust Him for wisdom in knowing how to respond to a difficult relationship.

Those spiritual-type tests might make us nervous, and we might try to work around them or run away from them, but life experience tells us that going to such extremes never works well. Instead, we can be honest with Jesus about how we feel, and we can hang onto His promises.

Here are some encouraging words for when you face a test:

No one I know relishes taking a test—least of all me—but they reveal areas in our lives where we need to learn and grow. Let’s remember that God allows tests in our lives, but He always sits with us so long as we’re in that place.