31 But when the rulers of Babylon sent emissaries to find out about the sign from God that had taken place earlier, God left him on his own to see what he would do; he wanted to test his heart.
– 2 Chronicles 32:31
There are some "big" things in this life that you just have to do and go through by yourself. All alone, no one there to hold your hand, no one to reassure, or give advice; no lifelines, or floatation devices, or tethers. Just you, your abilities, your inabilities, and your heart. These tests of our will and our character are never easy, but when we go beyond ourselves and we successfully complete the tasks we never thought we could complete, we grow our possibilities, and we establish our confidence, and we build our character.
It's during these trials that it sure would be good to have the Holy Spirit guiding our efforts! I mean, talk about "I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me," right? But today's scripture suggests that sometimes, there are certain situations that our God leaves us to our own unique set of abilities; He "pulls back" so to speak, just to see how we will respond to diversity, or just to something new and unfamiliar.
I remember when my son was just a toddler, when we would go to the mall he liked to run ahead and hide in the clothing racks at the department stores. We would play a kind of hide-and-seek while mom was shopping. He really enjoyed popping out of the aisles of jackets or dresses and "scaring" me, then disappearing once again into the sea of garment hiding places. One time, I decided to test him. As soon as he did one of his disappearing acts, I quickly circled back around him and hid behind a pillar. This time, when he popped out to scare me, I wasn't there! I could see from my hiding place that this confused him, and he had a sudden look of panic on his face as this was a new development in this "familiar" game. He called out my name, "Daddy!" but I didn't budge. Again, "Daddy!" but I stayed hidden.
My instinct was to come out of my hiding place and say, "Here I am!" but I wanted to see what he would do and how he would react in an unfamiliar setting. For several minutes he called out my name, asking "Where are you?" as he wound his way around the racks of clothing. From my vantage point I could see, and hear, that he was becoming quite frustrated, but I remained hidden (I even got a few disapproving stares from some of the other patrons).
It didn't take him long to figure out that I was no longer in the "game" and that he had to figure out how to reconnect with reality, and to my surprise (and delight), he didn't throw himself down and start screaming, but instead he calmly climbed and stood on a chair and scanned the heads of all the shoppers until he recognized mom's head and then he climbed down and made his way to her side. "Where's Dad?" she asked. He just shrugged his shoulders. That's when I jumped out from the column I was hiding behind and yelled "HA!" He squealed in delight and gave me a big hug. I knew from that simple test that I could count on him in the future to remain calm in unfamiliar situations and we talked about what he was feeling when he couldn't find me. I reassured him that I would never leave him and that I would always be there for him, even if he couldn't see me.
God does that with us sometimes. He pulls back and He watches. He wants to see what we will do when we are faced with unfamiliar situations. He wants to see if we are going to freak out, or if we will trust, even when we can't sense His presence, that the abilities He has given us will enable us to achieve success - no matter what we face. He wants us to know that He is always there and that even when we can't feel Him, we can know and have faith that He is our God, and He is just a whisper away.
God has given you the heart of a champion! You can accomplish great things! Things you never thought you could do! Things you've never faced before and that seem too big for someone like you . . . but I'm here to tell you that You CAN accomplish whatever is needed to get through your circumstance because God has given you the heart to be Victorious in ALL things!
Prayer
Father, thank You for the testing of our hearts. Thank You for allowing us to see how big You are in our lives. Thank You for giving us abilities, and courage, and determination, and for placing in us the heart of a champion. We can do all things through, and in, and for You!
Have a Blessed day everyone!
– Richard
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