Nobody likes tests.
I mean, no normal person likes tests. If you’re one of those oddballs who loves tests, you should know that everyone is a little worried about you.
I once heard of a college sophomore who was in an ornithology class. Do you know what ornithology is? I had to look it up: It’s the study of birds. This student sweated all semester in anticipation of the notoriously difficult final exam.
Having made what he regarded to be the “ultimate effort” in preparation for the exam, he stayed up all night memorizing bird facts. When he walked into the classroom the next morning, he was stunned to see no test, no multiple choice questions, no essay prompts—just a single slide at the front of the room, with a picture of 25 different pairs of bird legs. And the instructions: “Identify these birds by their legs.”
“This is insane,” the student protested. “I didn’t prepare for this!”
“Give it your best shot,” said the professor, “because this is your final exam, and it counts for half of your grade.”
“This is not fair. I won’t do it!” the frustrated student said. And he got up to walk out.
The professor said, “Young man, if you walk out, then you fail the final!” To which the student replied, “Well, go ahead and fail me!”
“Fine!” the professor thundered. “You have failed. Tell me your name so I can mark it down.”
At this point, the boy pulled up his pant legs and said, “You tell me, Professor! You tell me!”
I’m almost certain that story never happened. But it illustrates something important: Tests reveal weak spots in our knowledge. This is why we tend to hate them. No one likes having their weaknesses revealed.
But tests have an upside as well. When approached rightly, tests can also be opportunities to deepen our knowledge, filling in the gaps of our understanding.
If there’s one basic moral the stories of the Bible teach about the tests of life, it’s this: God is in control, so you don’t need to worry. Whatever needs you have tomorrow, God can provide for them.
I’m sure you’ve heard this a hundred times. But I’m not sure you believe it. Which is why God repeats it so often. Take the Sermon on the Mount, for instance. In Matthew 6, Jesus was teaching his followers why they shouldn’t feel the need to worry. In verse 34, he says something I’ve always found ironic and even amusing: “Do not worry about tomorrow … Each day has enough trouble of its own” (NIV).
It makes me want to say, “Well, Jesus, I’m not really encouraged by that. Tomorrow is full of trouble? I’m glad you said it, but that’s exactly what I’m worried about.”
But here’s the thing: Jesus knows tomorrow will have trouble. But he knows tomorrow will have something else too. Or, rather, someone else. Jesus is saying, “I’ll be there tomorrow too. The God who took care of you today will be present with you tomorrow.” Remember, God’s name is not “I WAS” or “ONE DAY I WILL BE”; his name is always “I AM,” because he’s the God who is always present to supply our need for whatever challenges we face that day. And he does so abundantly.
Jesus says in Matthew 6:26 that he provides abundantly for the ravens and wildflowers, and you are of way more value to God than they are. Jesus didn’t die for ravens and wildflowers, after all. He died for you, so you can expect he’ll take even better care of you than he does them.
Do you have a relationship you’re having trouble with? A child, a friend, a spouse, a boss? God won’t magically make it go away, but he will give you what you need to face that challenge each day that you need it.
Are you facing a difficult decision, one that feels overwhelming? God won’t make the tough decision easy, but he will give you the wisdom that you need to make that decision on that day.
Is there an assignment ahead of you that just feels like it’s too much for you? Second Corinthians 9:8 says that “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work” (ESV).
Do you feel defeated because you’ve fallen again, for the thousandth time, in the face of some temptation? Get up, because God’s mercies are new every morning.
Trouble may be in your tomorrow, but a God of mercy greater than the trouble will be there too.
And when God provides, he provides with abundance so that we can share with those around us. Paul draws this application from the manna story in 2 Corinthians 8:14–15 quoting Exodus, when he says, “Your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. As it is written, ‘Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.’”
In the days of “manna,” the children of Israel were just like we are today—which means some of the type-A, Enneagram-6, worst-case-scenario type of people wanted a little extra stockpile of manna, just in case it didn’t come through one morning. But God said to the Israelites in Exodus 16:18, “That’s not how I want you to think. I don’t want you acting today as if I’m not going to meet you tomorrow. I want you to trust that I’ll be there tomorrow to provide for your needs just like I was today.” And the key way they expressed that was by gathering only enough for today and sharing any excess from today with those who didn’t have enough.
I know tomorrow looks uncertain. This world is a volatile place. It really is. And Jesus himself acknowledges that: Tomorrow has trouble of its own. But you will never solve tomorrow’s problems by choosing not to trust God today. Trust God with tomorrow. More than that, trust him with today.
Books by J.D. Greear
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