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FEBRUARY 28, 2011
ON TRIAL
“At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored.” (Daniel 4:34, NIV)
What does adversity do to you?
Honestly, it causes most of us to curse. Or at least complain.
Most diligent readers of Scripture have not only encountered James 1:2 – “Consider it all joy when you face
trials of various kinds”—they have pondered it, with application to themselves, and gained a level of conviction. Very few of us have reached the height of maturity in our walk of faith where
we “consider it all joy.”
But one helpful push in this direction might be to remember this: while temptation comes from the enemy, trials often
come from our heavenly Father, the One who loves us enough to grow us up through the testing of our faith.
Certainly, this was the case for Nebuchadnezzar, ancient king of Babylon. This powerful ruler governed
his realm in the same way we often govern ours: with supreme confidence (read pride). Sadly, even when we profess a belief in the God who
knows all, we think and act like we know best. Nebuchadnezzar didn’t have the belief in the Most High at the hour of his testing, but he definitely had the pride. When we grow comfortable in our
own accomplishments, we can just about count on tests of our faith.
For Nebuchadnezzar, this meant a year of living in the fields like a wild animal, with no access to the life he thought
he had tidily built for himself. What God taught him in this experience was that his life, like yours and mine, had been built by God alone. And God was not prepared to lay down the rights to the honor
that is His for such gifts.
Beautifully, Nebuchadnezzar came away from this season of severity “in his right mind.” That is, he
recognized the source of his provision and power. Humbled, he gave praise to God.
This is not the case with everyone. The pictures of the God’s strong judgments in Revelation are horrifying. And
yet, even with God’s wrath so evident, we read that “the rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands” (Revelation 9:20).
Testing will come. It will come even by God’s hand. And through such tests, our faith will be put “on
trial,” so to speak. Will we curse God and die, as Job’s wife suggested? Or will we praise God that His sovereignty is proved, turning to Him in faith even in the toughest of times?
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Jeff Hopper
February 28, 2011
Copyright 2011 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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