Don't Test Me!

Jesus commands us to pray to avoid trials and temptations and for rescue from evil of all kinds. This is not opposed to considering trials “pure joy.” We cry for grace to avoid unnecessary trials, trusting that what remains is, in some way, necessary. Then we can still cry for “rescue from evil” even while considering the trial “pure joy.” God doesn’t teach us masochism: He teaches us trust. Trust that He listens, trust that He is with you in the trial, trust that He will rescue and redeem.

Snow Trials

This snow has been crazy. Always just in time for Sabbath lately.

KK and I were sharing scary moments driving home last night. I had one right up here at Colorado and 144th. Red light so I start breaking, and it’s uphill, and I start breaking way far back so I wasn’t concerned.

But immediately my car just starts sliding. And the breaks start that anti-lock break shuddering. And I slowly came to start, so from the outside it looked like a controlled stop, but the breaks were tdltdltdltdl, pumping the whole way. That sleet to ice thing, it’s terrifying.

And my light has been warning low tire pressure for a long time. I keep going to the gas station to top off the tires, and they are always within a pound or two of perfect pressure, so I think it’s lying, but it’s scary.

It reminds me of a day just about 5 years ago. On my way to a New Years Eve party up at the Moore’s house in Longmont. Kids in the car and my girlfriend, Karen, riding shotgun. She’s all nervous to meet a bunch of church folks for the first time.

And it’s snowing. Like hard and ugly, not a little bit of snow. It’s a “maybe we should leave the party early to get home safe before we are snowed in” kind of snow.

And on my way North, just before I hit HWY 52, right alongside where the Toyota dealership is… BAM. Thump, thump, thump...

Flat tire. Front left tire. I pull off the road. And in the freezing cold driving snow, alongside traffic flying by on I-25 N, on New Years Eve (when everyone is safe and responsible)… I had to change my tire.

So… that was a rough day. Here’s the question:

Did God do that to me?

Was that an unfortunate circumstances brought on my own poor choices?

Or was it a ploy of the enemy, humiliation leading to social isolation, leading to depression and despair!

Was that a trial by God, some great plan to shape my soul?

Temptations or Trials

So… which is it?

James, brother of Jesus:

James 1:2–4 ESV

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

So… trials are joy, awesome.

And then James contrasts “trials” from “temptations.”

James 1:12–13 ESV

12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.

James 1:14–15 ESV

14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

So… trial = good.

temptation = bad.

πειρασμός

So we have these two definitions of the same word:

test, trial: an attempt to learn the nature or character of something.

temptation, enticement: an attempt to make one do something wrong.

So any time we have these words in the Bible, in particular in the New Testament, but some of that same tension is woven all through the OT as well… we have this kind of duality.

Is this a trial intended by God to shape and form us? Intended for good?

Or is this a temptation? From the Satan, or just evil in general, tempting us into failure?

Same circumstances, really.

The question, the distinction is the intent behind.

What any enemy, Satan or human, we can echo Joseph’s words “what you intended for evil, God meant for good.”

So… conclusion: pray for trials? Enjoy them? Woohoo?

We get weird with our prayers. We sanitize them. We clean them up. I did, so often.

I don’t want to prayer for that… what if it doesn’t come true?

Or if I pray that God doesn’t put me through that thing… and it’s part of God’s plan, am I fighting God’s plan and now I’m out of His will?

Is it just me who gets all twisted up like that?

Lord, teach us to pray:

Prayer

Matthew 6:9–12 ESV

9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

Matthew 6:13 ESV

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

There’s that word. Trial or temptation. And it’s paired with the second phrase. Deliver us from evil. Evil one? Evil circumstances? All of the above.

This is what is so surprising to me. With all the talk about “consider it pure joy” and the stories of fruit that comes from trial. Our spirit grows, our soul, we mature against adversity, God teaches us so much.

So… I want to avoid it, and accept it, and rejoice in it?

This is where purposeful asceticism goes so wrong. Wearing hair shirts to increase your uncomfortableness to be more sacred in your suffering? Nope. Or even self-flagellation, whipping yourself, that the scourge of trial might make you more holy? Hard no!

Now, in retrospect, I can see the “changing of the tire” as a beautiful thing. KK and I were just dating at the time, but she was there with me. It was a beautiful moment of partnership, of support. It was in no small part one of the biggest reasons we are married today, in my book. God showed me how it could be.

I can consider that pure joy.

And yet, when I am driving in the snow, I pray every time that it doesn’t happen again.

When I see that low pressure light, you better believe I am doing everything in my power to address it before it becomes another flat tire. I’m not looking to go through it again. And “everything in my power” includes, first stop, praying that God protect me, delivers me, “don’t lead me into that trial Lord, please!”

Jesus doesn’t hesitate to ask: Dad, can we skip the trial?

Can we skip the hard painful moment that’s coming?

Can we not do the temptations, can we bypass the gross?

And it ISN’T just empty wishing… the Bible has numerous times where God very explicitly responds. The Bible has way more times that God answers prayers without seeing an explicit change, but we know that He really is listening and hearing and responding to our prayers.

Why does He wait for us to pray sometimes before changing the circumstances? I don’t know, really. An invitation to be part of it? An authentic relational moment? Maybe 100 different reasons and we try to oversimplify.

But the fact is: this is how He works.

And then when we have prayed to “skip the trial” and “rescue us from the evil bad stuff” and we still find ourselves in the trial? What then?

Then we know, with absolute confidence, that this next moment is needed. Necessary. Liking it is optional… but not my will, but yours be done. And, Scripture is full of encouragement in the midst of that.

Paul knew it:

1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV

13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Casual words? Nope, this man was marooned on an island, ran out of town more than once, stoned to death or near death once… then imprisoned off and on for years, then finally executed, martyred in the name of Jesus.

By tradition, he was beheaded right around the same time I was this guy, Peter, was crucified. Church tradition says he requested to be crucified upside down as he declared himself unworthy to die as Jesus did. What did Peter say?

1 Peter 1:6–7 ESV

6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

And Jesus gets all the glory.

Cry for Grace

I like this one.

Cry for grace from God to see God’s purpose in every trial, and then for grace to submit to it, at once; to accept it, to rejoice in it. This is usually the end of trouble.

Charles Spurgeon

It’s grace all the way.

I think Charles Spurgeon (Chucky) is missing one.

Modeled by Jesus, commanded by him as he taught us to pray.

Cry for grace from God to avoid trial.

Then grace to see God’s purpose for trials that remain.

Then grace to submit to it.

Then grace to rejoice in it.

Then, tomorrow it’s Sunday. Do the same all over again.

Cry for Grace.

Cry for Grace

You have permission. You have the command of the Son of God to pray like this. Isn’t that awesome?

This is trust. When we think of the theological caricature of God we have built up, sometimes this gets confused. So we return to the model Jesus gave us.

Dad-ism. This is the ultimate in trust.

Abba, Dad - can we not do the hard thing?

Dad - this is hard, can you rescue me from it?

Dad - they are hurting me, can you help?

Dad - if this is what we have to do, stay with me in it? Help me in it? Heal me after? What am I supposed to learn here?

Dad, I trust you with where I’m at right now. And I’m asking that you turn things around.

Here’s what I know. You have some trials coming. “In this world you will have trouble.”

Here’s what else I know: God answers prayer. So let’s pray for Grace.

I think of my Mom, she’s been sharing some of her health stuff. It is a trial, and it’s heavy on the whole family.

I think of the Henry’s, Camille’s granddaughter Ashley we have been praying for. Trial upon trial.

Let’s pray for Grace that we could just skip many, most of those trials. Let’s be bold and just ask to skip them all. “Lead us not into trial or temptation!”

Let’s pray for Grace for the trials that you are already in. That God may deliver you soon. He could end it today!

Let’s pray for Grace in the midst of the trials we must endure. Help me in it, heal me in it, grace and joy and peace in the midst of it.

Anyone have some prayers they need to pray? Things that God could turn around? Let’s pray.