if I will not open you the windows of heaven,
and pour you out a blessing, that there
shall not be room enough to receive it.
Malachi 3:10
The word prove means, "to ascertain as fact; to establish the validity of; to be found by trial". When someone invents a product, they test it, by proving what it can do. It's not offered merely on the word of the inventor. When you go to purchase a vehicle, you don't just accept the word of the salesman that it's "the one for you"--you prove it by taking it for a "trial run". Ask any student anywhere: how do they prove to their teacher what they have learned? By being tested. The teacher doesn't merely accept the word of the student that they have learned the lesson--they are put through tests--the results tell the teacher or instructor what the student has learned. The results of the test are the "proof".
That's where humans balk--and many default--the "testing" or "trial" stages in our lives. Why are we, as children of God, tested? Two of several reasons are, (1) because our Heavenly Father wants to prove Himself to us! Jeremiah 33:3 tells us, Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. Hallelujah! And (2) our Heavenly Father wants us to grow stronger in our faith and trust that He IS Able to meet our every need!
Merely believing in God is not enough. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. James 2:19. Merely believing in God is not enough to carry us through the tests and trials that come into our lives! We need proof. Why? Because we are humans, limited in our comprehension, and it is the proof that STRENGTHENS our faith--that increases our faith--that convinces us we serve a God Who knows us, loves us, and is willing AND able to meet our every need.
Certainly we have faith in the God we serve: otherwise, we would not believe He exists. But to prove Him is when we put "legs" on our faith, when we reinforce that faith by indisputable proof. And each of us, as children of God, are assured in His Word, that we can prove Him. Why does He tell us to prove Him? Because He wants our faith to be reinforced by fact. He doesn't want us to be limited by a faith that is a mere belief--He wants us to be convinced, persuaded, rooted and grounded, firmly established in our faith by the proof that He is a real God: real in our souls, real in our every day lives, real in meeting our needs!
You know, the world tells us, "You don't have to prove a thing..." But that's just like the world--to be in direct opposition to the Word of God. As long as something is not proven, there's no real basis for believing in it. Each of us prove ourselves, everyday. We prove "what we are made of" by the manner in which we treat others. We prove ourselves to our employers by showing up for our jobs and doing them well. We prove ourselves to our spouses by being faithful to them. We prove ourselves to our creditors by paying our bills according to our agreements with them. We prove ourselves as responsible citizens by obeying laws. And for any of those things we don't do that we should, it's proof, too.
It's one thing to say we "believe". But do we? Do we really? Have we proven God? Do we trust Him enough to say to Him, "Father, do whatever You need to do in my life"??? Have we accepted the proof of Him in our lives? When we have irrefutible, indisputable evidence of proof, then we can stand firm in that which we know because it has been proven to us. When something has been proven to you, doubt is banished. Fear is gone. Worry cannot get at you because you have the proof! Yet, we allow those three to creep back in! Why is that???
Now I ask you again, how is something proven? By being tested. Ugh oh! We sure don't like tests, do we? Yet, that is how God proves Himself to us. We complain about how many years we worked for our employer, how much good we have done, yet when some problem came up, all the good we had done is ignored. Well, hello! We know that is our humanity, right? And it is never more clearly revealed than when a trial, a testing period, comes along in our life and we cry out to God, "Where are You?" Instead of us standing on the proof of our deliverance through salvation, instead of us standing on the abundant mercies He has extended to each and every one of us, instead of us remembering all the blessings He has already sent our way, we cave in. Worry and doubt and fear assail us and we go all to pieces. We still just don't get it!
Each trial SHOULD make us stronger in the Lord. Note emphasis on the word should. I said, "Should". But it doesn't! We don't fall back on the promises of God, the many marvelous things He has done for us already. We don't stand firm on that which we know--we cave in and fall apart over the unknown. Yet we serve a God Who knows EVERYTHING and controls EVERYTHING. But we don't have enough faith in Him to trust Him to do the best thing for us. WE want control, and there's not a one of us who won't make a mess of things if it's all left up to us!
Yet the whole point of Him testing us is to strengthen us, because each lesson is proof of Him. Too many of us are not willing to be tested--therefore we lack that indisputable proof of God in our lives. We've never gotten out of the nursery with God. We refuse to pray and study the Word of God, to get to the "meat" of it--we're still Bottle Babies. We keep requiring the same old lessons, over and over and over--we cannot grow in our relationship with Him because we fold at testing time. We cannot seem to get a grip on what it takes In Order To Advance. And yet, it is the testing that proves Him to us!
When a baby first starts to walk, just watch him or her. That child does not watch its feet as it begins to take those first steps. Look VERY CAREFULLY and see where that child is looking. His or her eyes are FASTENED on the face of the encourager! "Come on, you can do it!" and the child takes that first tentative step. No matter how many times it has to start over and start over and start over, the encourager is right there: "Come on, you can do it! You can do it! Oh look, everybody!" Then we gather him or her in our arms and bless them and make them feel so loved and special--they start squirming to be put down so they can try again!!
And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. Mark 10:13-15. Do you get it? You say, "That scripture was referring to us being humble as little children". You just reinforced what I said, thank you. We need to humble ourselves before God and RELY on HIM, not ourselves! And we need to learn as children learn and move on to the next stage of our development in our relationship with God!
However well that child got around crawling, he really "takes off" when he starts to walk! Walking leads to running and jumping and skipping and hopping and climbing and ... Yet we as children of God, despite all His encouragements and His promises to us through His Word, continue to slough around, crawling from place to place in our Christian experience. Oh yes, we do indeed need to learn from the children! No wonder Jesus said, "Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein."
How do parents prove themselves to their children? How does a parent get a child to accept being dropped off in daycare? By faithfully keeping their word to return at the end of each work shift to retrieve that child. As the days go by, the child learns that Mom or Dad will keep their word, and they grow more confident in themselves, that Mom or Dad WILL BE THERE to get them. They get BEYOND spending their days in fear and doubt--they play and learn and go about their day in confidence: "Mom (or Dad) WILL soon be here for me!" You have proved yourself to your child, thus their faith in you is ESTABLISHED. Nothing warms a parent's heart like the faith of a child: "I KNEW you would come and get me!"
We have got to get back to that, my friends, in our faith in God! How did your child know you would come and get them? Because you had proven yourself to him (or her). Well? That's what their faith in you is established on--the proof of that which you did yesterday, and the day before and the day before that! Are we not SUPPOSED to be that way with our Heavenly Father?
... I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Exodus 3:6. There have been times when praying about a situation, I have had to bolster my faith by reminding myself of Who my Heavenly Father is: "The God of my father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob--He Who changes not." And, when necessary, I've added others to that list: "The God of Moses, the God of David, the God of Peter, the God of Paul..." You see, each name was a boost to my faith as I recalled that which is recorded in the Word of God that He had done for them. And it was all proof--because He IS the same yesterday, today and forever! (Hebrews 13:8) For I am the Lord, I change not... Malachi 3:6.
For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Hebrews 12:6-11.Remember the next time a season of testing comes along in your life: God is trying to prove Himself to you. It may be through a lesson of faith, a lesson of correction, a lesson of endurance. But it is all for your good. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28. That scripture is oft-misquoted. A very important "the" is left out: "...to them who are the called..." IF you are a child of God, you have been called out from the world and made one of His own. Do you not realize that that makes you "an heir of God and a joint-heir of Jesus Christ"? Do you have any idea of the significance of that promise?
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. Romans 8:14-17.Do any of us want our children to only partly trust us? NO! We want them to love us, cherish us, completely trust us. Now how much more do you think our Heavenly Father wants us to trust Him? And how do we learn to do that?
herewith, saith the Lord of hosts,
if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and
pour you out a blessing, that there shall
not be room enough to receive it.
Malachi 3:10.
(all emphasis on scriptures, such as bold, underline or uppercase, is mine)
"Prove Me Now" Copyright © 2001 by Patricia Sikes.
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