All my parents had while enrolling me in a private University in Kenya was faith. A deep-seated assurance from God that He would provide.

Stacked against the staggering school fees required, their salaries were a drop in the ocean.

But.

They had a word.

A promise.

Indomitable faith- plus four other wide-eyed children to cater for, but I digress.

I couldn’t muster their kind of gutsy, audacious faith, so I rode on theirs.

They had emptied their savings and secured loans to cater for the minimum amount the school required for my admission.

After a peachy albeit tiresome day spent hurtling from one office to another, I was a duly registered first year at the University of my dreams.

My heart nearly burst with joy.

“Take care of your rent and pocket money,” mom instructed as we hugged goodbye.

I instinctively slid my hand into my pocket to confirm that the wad of notes she had earlier pressed into my palm was intact.

I was to use it to pay my rent in a humble off-campus hostel and use the rest for my upkeep.

To my horror, the money was gone, disappeared into thin air like a soap bubble.

I didn’t have to utter a word – the dread on my face was easy for her to decode.

We spent the next few minutes foraging through our items, turning pockets inside out, inspecting all corners, folds , and crevices.

Sadly, our search yielded nothing. Nada.

---

The air between us thickened into glue.

I hung my head low in trepidation as tears pooled in my eyes.

And then mom said something I will never forget.

She uttered some life-giving words.

“This is just a test, God will provide more”.

I got confused. Was this real?

Here she was- my full-fledged African mom, seemingly glossing over my money mishap.

Money that she and Dad had moved heaven and earth to secure.

Money that reeked of their sweat, blood, and tears.

She had to know something that I didn’t.

---

Years later,I got it.

I finally unriddled her nonchalance towards the money I had lost and learned a monstrous lesson while at it.

Mom knew that the promise God had given them- that He would provide for my schooling against all odds would be tested.

Because each of God’s words in our lives will go through the wringer.

She was not about to toss away her confidence because of the test.

Good on you, mama!

Persecution Trails The Word

​Every promise we receive from God will be tested.

Whether it’s a word you gleaned from the scriptures, a prophecy you received, a vision, a dream, or a conviction from the Holy Spirit.

Any well-meaning teacher prepares tests to ascertain that the students fully comprehend the subject at hand.

God also comes back to check if you truly believe His word.

To ascertain the tenacity of your faith, he will allow some rattling.

Jesus explained that the word attracts affliction.

“But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.” (Mathew 13:20).

We often receive God’s word with great enthusiasm.

​A powerful sermon may cause some to break into a jig, shout out loud, grunt, punch the air, or nod their heads furiously.

Others may hoist chairs, pace around, twitch faces, and slap an unsuspecting neighbor.

​I have been there and done the whole shebang.

However, God is not scrutinizing our excitement.

​What piques His interest is our attitude when tribulations set in.

Do we have the tenacity and depth to hang in tight when tested, or do we stumble and retract?

Propelled by Trials

Joseph dreamed of his elevation.

Mind-blowing elevation that would see his entire family sprawled out in reverence before him.

Hope bubbled in his teenage heart and added a spring to his step.

There was, after all, more to his life than tending flock alongside his green-eyed brothers.

But before he could stack up enough castles in the air, all the wheels came off.

His brothers sold him off to Egypt.

King David chimes in and describes Joseph’s ordeal.

“He sent a man before them-Joseph-who was sold as a slave. They hurt his feet with fetters, he was laid in irons. Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him. (Psalm 105:19)

Did you see that? The word of the Lord tested Joseph!

It hurled him from the pit to slavery before ditching him behind bars.

Thankfully, that was not the end.

After Joseph had passed the grueling, mind-bending tests, the same word elevated him to become Prime Minister in Egypt, second only to Pharaoh.

Did God promise to restore you to perfect health? Don’t be too surprised when your health suddenly deteriorates.

It’s a test.

Did he promise to restore a broken relationship? Don’t be too flustered when you can no longer see eye to eye.

It’s a test.

Hang in there and knuckle your way through the test.

The same word will usher in your elevation in due time.

“Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” (James 1:12).

A clear knowledge of God buffers us

Abraham also went through testing.

Nerve-wrecking rigorous testing with God asking him to offer Issac, his son of promise, as a burnt sacrifice.

Interestingly, the Bible does not record Abraham throwing a hissy fit or having a sleepless night upon receiving the directive.

On the contrary, we see him rising at the crack of dawn to execute God’s command.

“So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.” (Gen 22:3).

Abraham must have had a crystal clear understanding of his God.

“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.” (Hebrews 11:17-19).

​Abraham did his math and concluded that God could raise Isaac from the dead if it got there.

He knew there was nothing His God couldn’t do.

Having a right revelation of God will steady us during our trials.

Are we convinced that He is almighty and unhindered?

Are we assured of His faithfulness to fulfill His word against all odds?

God scrutinizes the fabric of your faith

“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:6-7)

The tests we muddle through have a divine assignment: to determine the genuineness of our faith.

The fabric of your faith is important to God, far more than your comfort.

Your ability to exude enduring faith is more precious than gold.

God is keen to ascertain the width, breadth, and height of your faith.

He rarely uses a heart He has not tested- He searches our hearts and tests our minds (Jeremiah 17:10).

Having grasped this revelation, Paul relished every tribulation he muddled through.

He delighted in his trials because they birthed perseverance, character, and climaxed in hope (Romans 5:3-5).

We too can chin up when trials spring up and cherish the transformation they birth.

Reflection

• Do you have areas where you feel God’s word is testing you?
• Did you receive God’s word with joy, only for your trials to escalate?
• Choose not to succumb to discouragement and pray for enduring faith.
• Remember that God can be trusted, He keeps His word down to a T.