Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah. Be sure to keep the commands of the Lord your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you. Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight, so that it may go well with you….

DEUTERONOMY 6:16–18

The devil led [Jesus] to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ‘If you are the Son of God,’ he said, ‘throw yourself down from here. For it is written:

“He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully;
they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”’

Jesus answered, ‘It is said: “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”’

LUKE 4:9–12

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Is it going to be third time lucky for the devil? Jesus has already resisted two major temptations: first, to satisfy his hunger through a misuse of his power, and second, to secure the authority and splendour of the world’s kingdoms in exchange for devil worship.

Now, in a final attempt, at least for now, the devil tempts Jesus to test whether God, his Father, can truly be trusted. Is the one who claimed Jesus was his beloved Son (Luke 3:22) true to his word? The echoes of the serpent in the garden of Eden are striking: ‘Did God really say?’ (Genesis 3:1).

Can God really be trusted? Is God really for me? Will God really save me?

A lack of trust in God often underlies many of the poor decisions we make. We can ‘believe’ in God intellectually but live, functionally, as atheists, without trusting God in our daily lives. Without that trust, we can cut corners, compromise integrity, or justify small ethical lapses. We can even measure God’s faithfulness by our circumstances – trusting him when things go well but doubting him when they do not.

The Bible is filled with examples of people whose lack of trust had catastrophic consequences. Abraham, despite God’s promise, chose to have a child with Hagar, leading to enduring conflict (Genesis 16). King Saul, impatient for Samuel to offer a sacrifice, took matters into his own hands and lost God’s favour and his kingdom (1 Samuel 13).

A lack of trust can also lead us to test God. We might hesitate to obey God fully, waiting for him to show us how things will turn out. Instead of surrendering, we bargain: ‘If you bless me, then I’ll trust you more.’ We might even test God’s protection by making reckless choices and assuming he will rescue us rather than exercising wisdom.

But that’s not the way of Jesus. Unlike Israel in the wilderness, who repeatedly tested God (Exodus 17:1–7), Jesus stands firm. He refuses to test his Father but remains rooted in the Scriptures. He knows his Father loves him and will save him.

If you’re being tested right now, resist the temptation to respond by testing God. Instead, immerse yourself in the Scriptures and remind yourself of his enduring love and faithfulness – not just for you, but for the whole world.

Paul Woolley
CEO, LICC

Recall a time you were tempted to test God’s commitment to you. How might you have acted differently if you had really trusted God?