The Phrase That Doesn’t Always Sit Right
How many times have you heard it?
“God is testing you.”
“This is just a test of your faith.”
“He gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers.”
While those words may come from a place of good intention, they don’t always bring comfort, and they don’t always reflect God’s heart.
If you’re anything like me, you’ve faced struggles that left you wondering, “Why would God let this happen? What am I supposed to be learning?” But the truth is, God isn’t always testing us. Sometimes, we’re just facing the reality of a fallen, broken world, a world that’s full of sickness, pain, sin, and sorrow.
A Broken World, Not a Broken Faith
Scripture is clear that we live in a world affected by sin and brokenness (Romans 8:22). Death, disease, disappointment, injustice, these aren’t “assignments” given by God to test our strength. They’re consequences of living in a world where evil still exists.
Think about Job. Yes, there was a deeper spiritual story behind his suffering, but to those watching, it looked like tragedy after tragedy for no reason at all. His friends were quick to assume God must be punishing or testing him, but they were wrong. In fact, God rebuked them for that thinking (Job 42:7).
The same applies to us. Hardship doesn’t always come with a hidden lesson or divine “test paper.” Sometimes, it’s just life. But even in that, God is with us.
God Is Not the Author of Evil But He Is Our Rescue
When evil seems to win, it’s easy to wonder where God is. But God doesn’t create evil. James 1:13 says, “God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone.”
He is not the one behind abuse, betrayal, natural disasters, or tragedy. But He is the one who comforts, restores, redeems, and walks with us through it all.
When we feel crushed by life’s weight, Psalm 34:18 reminds us:
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
God doesn’t abandon us in the storm, He enters it with us. He doesn’t sit back and grade us on how well we suffer. He comes close, whispers peace, and holds us through the pain.
What We Can Learn in Hard Times
That doesn’t mean we don’t grow in hardship. We do. But growth isn’t the reason for suffering, it’s often the result of clinging to God through it.
The growth comes in leaning harder on His promises.
The peace comes when we stop asking “why” and start trusting “Who.”
The healing begins when we release the guilt that we’re somehow failing a test and instead run to the arms of our loving Father.
Hardship can produce perseverance (Romans 5:3), yes, but that doesn’t mean God sent the storm. It means He’s able to bring beauty out of the ashes we never asked for.
You’re Not a Failed Test. You’re a Loved Child.
If you’re walking through something painful right now, hear me loud and clear: God isn’t testing you. He’s holding you.
He is not waiting to see if you’ll crack under pressure. He’s offering His presence so you don’t have to walk it alone.
You are not being punished. You’re not being set up.
You are being loved through the storm.
Psalm 46:1 reminds us: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
Final Encouragement
Sometimes the greatest act of faith is not passing a test it’s collapsing into God’s arms when we’re at the end of ourselves and saying, “I still trust You.”
So next time someone says, “God is testing you,” I hope you can gently remind them, or yourself, that not everything is a test. Sometimes, it’s just a broken world. And God is not the examiner, He’s the rescuer.
He’s the stronghold we lean on, not the obstacle we have to overcome.
Read more on ‘The Power of Reading The Bible‘.
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