My grands love time spent on the iPad. It's right up there with sledding and baseball. When they started coming here after school, I looked for some apps that would be helpful with math and reading and spelling. One I selected was The Bible App for Kids in partnership with One Hope.
~all grins~
They have loved the Bible stories, which are well presented. The grands can hear the story read for them or can read for comprehension and answer a quiz. We can often be found talking about them. I have shared another time concerning reading the story Cain and Abel. The new story last week was titled "The Big Test." They are so not fans of this story and the youngest went so far as to ask if I thought that God had "really messed up."
~the big test~
Now I have been thinking about this for days since. (And wishing that the above picture more accurately matched the story.) I tried to even use one grand's own words more or less: He is God and He can do what He wants.
They weren't buying it. Suddenly, their image of God had shifted to the precarious. He was not to be trusted. We have a crisis of faith where, as C.S. Lewis once said, "It's not that we don't believe that God exists, but rather that He does and He is this."
So I have been thinking and praying and we will talk about it again. I will say things like Abraham trusted God. Even Isaac trusted God. Then I'll ask some questions: When your teacher gives you a test, does she know if you will do well? When God gives a test, does He know if you will do well? Hope that we always recognize the difference.
God does not give us tests so He will see how we're measuring up. He knows that already. In fact, without Jesus, we are always going to fail because it is Christ in us whom God sees. We are covered (protected) by the blood He shed for us. Once I have asked The Lord into my life, God allows me to be tested so that I will grow and so I will remember all that He has done to get me through.
God tested Abraham (and Isaac) so they would remember all The Lord had done for them. Yes, they passed the test, but then, God already knew that they would.
Enjoy this Pentecost Sunday and a blessed week ahead!
ツ
