Our Jeep’s transmission fluid had been overheating on long trips. We would have to pull off the side of the road and let the car idle in neutral for a couple minutes until it cooled down and then we could continue. We were blessed in that each time that happened we were at a place in the road that was wide enough for us to stop.
Before we take our next big trip, we took the Jeep in to have the transmission checked. They worked on it, told us it should not overheat any more, we paid the bill and left—wondering. “Was it really fixed?” How were we to know? After all, it never overheated on the short trips around town, just on long ones, usually after about 3-4 hours.
So last Saturday we drove around southwest Idaho for no particular purpose except to test the transmission and see if the repair worked. As we did I’m thinking about the Lord and how He tests us.
Proverbs 17:3: “The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests the heart.” [NIV]
1 Thessalonians 2:4: “We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts.” [NIV]
As we mature we go through times of testing. God knows our hearts; the testing is not for Him. The testing is for us. He tests us so that we might understand how far we’ve come … or maybe how far we still have to go! He puts us in situations where we come away knowing just how much like Jesus we are!
Father, test me and see how much like Your Son I am, how much like Your Son I am not. Reveal to me my own heart and by Your Spirit make me more like Jesus. Amen.
