My favorite movie is the 1987 classic “The Princess Bride.”  My family and I have seen this movie multiple times, to the point where we can quote large portions of the script. If you have never seen the movie, one of the beloved characters is self-appointed criminal mastermind named “Vizzini”.  Any time something did not go as he had previously planned, he would exclaim “inconceivable!” He repeats this word multiple times. Eventually, a member of his entourage turns to him and says, “You keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means.”

In the life of faith, we sometimes use the language of “Testing” to describe God’s interactions in our lives. We say things like “this is a time of testing” or “God’s not troubling you, He’s testing you.”  Such statements sound nice, but have you ever wondered about what we mean when we talk about God testing us?

When we talk about tests, we often think about tests in school, or maybe a road-test. Tests are designed for us to prove ourselves, to show our knowledge, our skill, or our worth, and by doing so, earn the grade, the position, or the license we desire. Importantly, testing is binary in nature.  Regardless of demerit points or a range of letter grades, testing boils down to passing or failing. You either make the grade, or you miss out.

Does God test in the same manner? Is the God we love and worship nothing more than a schoolteacher in the sky, doling out heavenly exams to see where we stand?  Sadly, some people think this way.  I came across someone link heavenly blessings to “passing God’s tests.”  Trials and tribulations, on the other hands, were therefore linked to not passing the test.

If this is what we mean by testing, then this leads us into condemnation and death – we never really know where we are with God – because we never really know when, or from where, our testing will come. And so, we live in state of perpetual fear and confusion.

Yes, scripture talks about God testing us, but the interesting thing is, we never hear of people “failing” the test.  Scripture never records that God lambasts someone for failing his test. People sin, people make mistakes, and some people flatly reject God’s presence and will.  But neither Adam and Eve, nor Cain, nor Judas, are ever described as failing a heavenly exam. This means that God’s tests are not about us passing or failing.

God’s tests in our lives are nothing more than opportunities for us to live out our faith. This is what we see in the reading above. Israel is at the starting steps of the exodus journey, and along the way they will need to discover what it means to be the people of God, living in relationship with the God of their liberation.  We’ve already seen a certain amount of human frailty arise when the journey doesn’t seem as easy as they would like.  From a zig-zaggy journey to bitter water, Israel sometimes responds in frustration rather than in faith.  Thus, God establishes the boundaries of their relationship.  “God set ordinances and put Israel to the test.”  God establishes the way Israel is to live faithfully, to listen to God’s voice, to live in away that is consistent with the Lord’s will, to keep the statutes and commands.  These instructions about how they were live each day, they were not episodic moments by which the Lord would check to see if they were spiritually studious enough.

God tests us not to see if we will fail, but to give us the ability to walk in step with the God of our liberation and healing. “I am the Lord who heals you”, says the Lord. Yes, this may mean that God leads us into places that stretch us, but we never step into those moments alone. God doesn’t stand silent on the sidelines of our lives waiting to see if we make the correct response. No God journeys with us, each day. God goes before and behind us, God fights for us, and forgives us, redeems us and strengthens us.

This is what we see throughout the Exodus, and the rest of scripture; and this is what we see in our lives as well. So if you feel that you are being tested by God, may you see this as nothing more than an invitation for you to uncover God’s glorious presence.