Reverse Testing

For most kids, their first and favorite word is some version of mom or dad like “mama” or “dada.” But after only a couple years on earth, that moves to, “No!” By saying “no” kids are finding their own voice and independence level, and eventually the “no” becomes a way of testing their parents. All of us have tested our parents. It could have been something as simple as refusing to eat our vegetables at dinner. Maybe we tested our parents with much higher stakes, like breaking household rules or ignoring guidance that was in place to protect us. When we tested our parents, we were engaged in a power struggle of trying to get them to come to our standards instead of trusting in their standards.

Similarly, many of us test God. We are convinced that we know what’s best for ourselves, and we distrust God’s plan for our lives. We test his will by trying to live out our best thinking, or our will for our lives, first. When we do this, we’re trying to overthrow God’s throne by sitting on it ourselves, convinced that we possess all of the knowledge to know what is best. This is wrong, and God specifically warns us that we “must not test the Lord our God” (Deuteronomy 6:16). God’s goodness and trustworthiness is always before us through Scripture, our personal testimonies and the love and care of others. When we test God, we hurt our relationship with him because we are doubting his goodness.

Strangely however, there is one place in the Bible where God invites us to test him, and it has to do with our giving. Check out what he says:

“‘Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,’ says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, ‘I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!’” -Malachi 3:10.

We test God because we doubt his goodness, yet ironically in this passage God is inviting us to test him in our giving so that he can prove his goodness to us. Strangely, this command was given to Israel at a time when they were living in sin and constantly saying “no” to God. All God wanted was for them to return to him so he could prove his goodness. And giving was the way in which God was offering to show this. God promises that we can give to him and never be poorer for it. He is telling us that even when we stretch ourselves in giving, he will provide blessings of love and care in return.

God promises that we can’t out-give him. But how many of us have even ever tried? It’s easy to hold on to our money and possessions because it’s a source of great comfort. However, God offers a deeper comfort that comes from resting in the assurance of his faithfulness in our lives. If giving is a challenge, we can start small. Modest gestures of generosity to others or small recurring donations to our church or other ministries set systems in place to grow generosity. If giving is already a regular practice for us, we can extend ourselves even more by adding variety or amounts to our giving. No matter what our current giving levels, all of us can find ways to stretch it. Just try it! Put God to the test. Anticipate the unexpected blessings in return!

Photo Credit: Mick Haupt