TESTING

REFERENCE
Ps. 107:19,28 [Message] Then you called out to God in your desperate condition; he got you out in the nick of time.
Ps. 107:19,28 [ESV] Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.
Ps. 107:19,28 [NASB] Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; He saved them out of their distresses.

EXPLORATION
Sometimes we hear a greater lesson from what the Bible doesn’t say, than we do from what it says. The Bible doesn’t say, “then they cried out from their trouble and He delivered them from their trouble. They still had their trouble, or the consequences of their trouble, they just weren’t distressed about it.

APPLICATION
“WHEN” / “THEN” - “When the trouble comes - “then” - call / cry to the Lord.
James 1:2-4 [ESV] Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
STEADFASTNESS is the lack of stress, not the lack of a test.

PRAYER
Father,
This morning I awoke on a porch deck at a cabin high in the Sierra’s where men from our church have gathered for a retreat. This morning the “when” seems distant to me, although perhaps not for all of us. But my prayer is “when” my troubles come - my testing - “then” - SHOW UP! and make me perfect and complete.