[18] When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance [19] and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.” [20] Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.” [21] The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was. Exodus 20:18-21 NIV

This is a wild one! It comes right after God gave Moses the 10 Commandments.

The first thing it reveals is God’s holiness. Jesus died for us so that we could come into the presence of absolute holiness.

The second concept is something that I don’t even pretend to start to understand; God’s testing.

But whether I understand it or not, there it is. And my oldest daughter gave me an example of this last week.

She needs to pass an athletic test to follow what she knows is God’s plan for her future. She has been training for 6 months, and has two more months until her deadline.

During this time, she has faced a ton of little things that have threatened to derail her consistency. And recently, she has had to work through a huge storm that threw literal obstacles into her path and took away most of the ways she relaxes when it took out our power.

And then, when things were returning to normal, we hosted my other daughter’s friend for a few nights to help out her family, and lost our power again right when she had a practice test scheduled.

She has powered through it all, and has literally beaten her body to make it her slave. I was telling her how proud of her I am when she said something that made me even more proud. She said that if Satan felt the need to throw so many things in her way, she must be on the right path. I had absolutely nothing to add to her thinking!

As I said, I don’t pretend to understand the difference between God testing us and Satan trying to keep us from following God’s will, but I think our response is meant to be the same in both.

If God has made our next steps clear, we are meant to keep going, while spending time with Him and listening for His continuing voice as we walk forward.

What has God taught you about this? How can I be praying for a trial you are traveling through?