In yesterday’s devotional reading in my “MyDaily Bible” app I read James chapter 1. The Apostle James doesn’t beat around the bush and says,
https://www.mydailybible.org/dp/esv/one-year-tract/2019-11-19.htm
James 1:2-5 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
Then this morning in “You Version” another of the 3 Bible apps I start my day off in, it too had a verse from James chapter 1 for the verse of the day,
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.
James 1:13 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/jas.1.13.NKJV
Knowing when a test is coming and being able to prepare for it isn’t anything to look forward to but that’s life and you don’t have to be a school student to know what I’m talking about. Maybe it’s a performance review for work or a regular health physical exam that only brings a true sigh of relief after it has passed.
In life though we get an unexpected “Pop Quiz” thrown at us every now and then when we least expect them. If you subscribe to the belief that God is Omniscient and The Sovereign of the Universe, there is nothing that can or does happen that He is not aware of long before it even happens. With that, everything that occurs in a life has the potential to be a learning opportunity to understand our relationship with God better.
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
That thought brings me to the 2nd of today’s Bible verses that I follow from the Tecatra app,
Psalm 5:12 KJV
For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.
https://tbibl.es/8Pwx
When I read that verse it brought to mind a scripture memory song that I like taken from verses 1-3, 8, & 12 of Psalm 5. The song speaks of looking to God to “lead me” and “protect me” through life’s tests and trials.
Even if the “Pop Quiz” you are taking wasn’t orchestrated by God, rest in the fact that He is in “Full Control” of it parameters. Pray for His Guidance to navigate through it. I bought the scripture memory album as a cassette when I first became a “Born Again with God’s Spirit” Christian and later the CD. Scripture Memory songs are a good way of getting the principles of God’s Word truly “Hidden” in our heart. It’s like stored up ammunition that the Holy Spirit can “bring to our rememberance” during times of battling through the trials and tests of life to help us “pass the quiz.”
Psalm 5
Listen to my words, Lord,
consider my lament.
2 Hear my cry for help,
my King and my God,
for to you I pray.
3 In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait expectantly.
4 For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness;
with you, evil people are not welcome.
5 The arrogant cannot stand
in your presence.
You hate all who do wrong;
6 you destroy those who tell lies.
The bloodthirsty and deceitful
you, Lord, detest.
7 But I, by your great love,
can come into your house;
in reverence I bow down
toward your holy temple.
8 Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness
because of my enemies—
make your way straight before me.
9 Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;
their heart is filled with malice.
Their throat is an open grave;
with their tongues they tell lies.
10 Declare them guilty, O God!
Let their intrigues be their downfall.
Banish them for their many sins,
for they have rebelled against you.
11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may rejoice in you.
12 Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous;
you surround them with your favor as with a shield.
Today’s devotional reading from MyDailyBible app ends with another of God’s promises to be with us and protect us through tests and trials,
Psalm 91
My Refuge and My Fortress
91:1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
5 You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only look with your eyes
and see the recompense of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—
the Most High, who is my refuge—
10 no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
no plague come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
12 On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the adder;
the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.
14 “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he knows my name.
15 When he calls to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”
In The Word 