The Lord Trieth the Hearts Prov. 17: 3 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
Your heart will be tried by the Lord – not unusual – teachers try students with exams – coaches try-out athletes for various sports – there are auditions for drama and musicals – search committees try out pastors – military boot camps and obstacle courses weed out soldiers (minimum standards) – a cowboy will try out a horse – you’ll test drive a car or a boat to find out about it.
The Lord is going to put you through some things to check you out – look what he did to these:
He tried the Jews in the wilderness – Deut 8:2 – to know whether they would keep his commandments and to know that man does not live by bread alone.
He tried Hezekiah – 2 Chr 32:31 – to see how he would go – the Lord had healed him and then ambassadors showed up and he showed them “My” stuff – result: they lusted after the stuff they saw – he forgot that was God’s stuff – he forgot that he was a dead man before and none of that would have been his – you don’t know what you would do in the circumstances that other people have faced until you are there yourself and then you will know – so it takes the Lord to try you.
Jesus was tried in Matt 4:1 and Heb 4:15 – to give us a high priest who could be touched with our infirmities and who could survive this world of sin in perfection thus setting the standard – he didn’t say this is “MY” stuff when on the mountain and he said “but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”
He tries our faith – 1 Pet 1:6-7 – to purify and strengthen your faith and bring praise honor and glory to God when Jesus comes – old Job never did curse God to his face – man you talk about praise honor and glory to God – what God’s men will endure for the sake of our Saviour – notice the trial of faith in James – Jas 1:3 – it works patience.
He tries our hearts – Jer 17:10 – to give every man according to his ways, Ps 139:23-24 – voluntarily asking God to search us so that we can turn to the ways of righteousness.
There are three good results – strengthens your faith (endure hardness – old Peter’s faith was tried several times and by the time the Lord really needed him in the battle, Peter was ready Acts 2, 10, dealing with the Jews when Paul had such trouble with them) – increases your patience (Heb 11:1, we always in a rush – Moses and the Jews got mad when Pharaoh increased the rigor but his time was coming and they had to trust God that He was going to bring it to pass) – cleans you up (God will show you things in there that you can’t see and that you are not aware of) – now if you survive all of these trials you will be a testimony to the next guy going through that he can do it.