Nancy Hughes: The heart test

“Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.”

Deuteronomy 8:2 (NIV)

Evidently the pressure in my neck that radiated into my jaw was not treated as casually by my doctor as it was by me. An EKG showed the possibility of a heart attack so within a few hours of those test results, I found myself in a large hospital with strangers asking me personal questions in an attempt to pinpoint exactly what could be developing within my heart.

“Do you work out? How often? Tell me your diet. What do you eat in any given week? Do you smoke?” 

For what seemed like hours the questions continued. Then suddenly I was left alone to contemplate what had just happened and what was next. Eventually it was decided that the only way to be 100% positive about what was going on was to have a heart catheterization.

Within 10 minutes of agreeing to that test, I was moved down a hall and into a lab. The physician was able to thread a catheter through an artery and see exactly what was going on in my heart and whether or not there was any blockage or other problem. Thankfully there was not and I was given the “all clear” to resume my usual activities.

In Deuteronomy 8:2 Moses is talking about a different kind of heart test. He is reminding the Israelite people of God’s decision to allow them to wander for forty years in the desert. It wasn’t because God didn’t care about them but rather because He DID care.

God tested them because He wanted them to decide whether or not their hearts would hold on to His promises and trust His leadership of their lives. Their desert experience would either cause them to be obedient, bow humbly before God and totally have faith in Him or they would fall away from Him and His commandments.

What about you? Has the Lord been performing a heart test on you? Have you felt as though you were in a desert place and wondered why you were there and what was going to happen next? Maybe a child has turned from the Lord and left home. Perhaps you have been laid off from your job or your business is not prospering like it was.

Please know that the Lord is right beside you as you have your “heart test.” He may have bigger plans for your life than you are aware of and this may be a time of learning complete obedience and trust in His plan for you. Trust the Ultimate Physician to know what is best for you as He performs your Heart Test.

Father, please help me to have complete faith in you as you lead me through my heart experience in the desert. I trust you at all times. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect
Have you ever felt like you were alone in a desert with life falling apart around you?

Have you considered that perhaps the Lord was allowing you to be there to learn to trust Him?

Apply

Keep a journal of your desert experiences for the next month.

Beside each entry, write down how you feel the Lord is directing that experience to help you to grow and trust Him in all situations. Use Scripture references.

Power

Deuteronomy 8:2 (NIV) “Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.”

I Peter 1:7 (NIV) “These have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

Deuteronomy 8:5 (NIV) “Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you."

(For more of Nancy Hughes' writing, check out her blog, Encouragement from the War Room.)