Lessons

God, as the Teacher, customizes His lessons to fit the student's needs. He knows our weakness and strengths. He understands more than anyone the truest condition of our hearts. The Lord is not interested in our head knowledge of the Scriptures as much as the Word knowing us. Anyone can memorize Scripture but until the Word has worked its way from the head to the heart and applied in daily life - it just remains a verse recited without feeling or meaning.

After King Hezekiah was healed, he acted foolishly in accepting a Babylonian envoy to visit him. It says, "Howbeit in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent unto him to inquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him, to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart." (2 Chronicles 32:31, KJV).

Here we see God going after something in this king's heart. Pride keeps him from seeking the Lord's mind on the matter. And pride tempts him to be acknowledged by world leaders while showing off his national treasures.

How many times when we are in difficult circumstances pride rises up and we find ourselves saying we can manage it, we got this covered, or no worries everything is under control. It's not. Like Hezekiah, God has stepped aside to see how we would respond to a test (not a temptation to cause us to sin which He will never do). Have we learned our lesson in trusting and obeying His voice? Or we still holding on to worldly desires of approval and trusting in our own abilities and talents?

Beloved, sadly most of us resist the Holy Spirit when we are in difficult and uncomfortable seasons. We want a quick fix or the nearest exit. Then we wonder why our understanding of the Scripture is so limited because we don't want to be instructed through suffering. It says Jesus learned obedience through the things He suffered (Hebrews 5:8). The one thing that did not suffer was His relationship with the Father. His relationship only deepened and became richer.

If we are willing to learn through humility we will pass the test because God will never let us fail when our heart is open to Him.