Daily Devotions
Monday, May 4, 2026
For You, O God, have tested us; You have tried us as silver is tried. You brought us into the net; You laid a crushing burden on our backs; You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet You have brought us out to a place of abundance. (Psalm 66:10-12)
We know what it feels like to be trapped in life’s circumstances as if caught in a net, with no way out. We experience crushing burdens in daily life. Others oppress or persecute us, as if they were riding over our heads. Many of God’s people suffer through disasters of fire or water. Yet for the psalmist, these are not merely unexpected life events. There is nothing random about this. God is behind it all. The psalmist prays, “You, O God, have tested us … You have tried us … You brought us into the net; You laid a crushing burden on our backs … You let men ride over our heads.” The psalmist is not accusing God of wrong, but acknowledging the divine purpose behind these events. None of these things happen apart from God’s loving care. In the obstacle course of daily life, the Lord puts His people to the test and He does so with purpose.
As the Israelites traveled through the wilderness, God fed them with manna, bread from heaven, but He told them to gather only one day’s portion each day. It was a test. Would they walk in His ways or not? When God gave His Law on Mount Sinai, Moses told the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of Him may be before you, that you may not sin” (Exodus 20:20b). Would they remain faithful and obedient to His commands? Such testing has a purpose: “The testing of your faith produces steadfastness” (James 1:3b). The suffering and persecution we endure result in the “tested genuineness” of our faith. (1 Peter 1:7b). Through testing we share in Christ’s suffering, as God conforms us to the image of His Son (see 1 Peter 4:12; Romans 8:29).
Jesus our Lord willingly endured suffering to save us. He was caught in the net of lies and deceit that His enemies prepared for Him. He bore the crushing burden of our sins in His own body on the cross. Through the suffering, death, and resurrection of our Savior, we have been brought by God’s grace to what the psalmist calls “a place of abundance.” God will not abandon us in the trials that we experience and the crushing burdens we may bear in life. He is at work, testing us with good purpose as He keeps us steadfast in faith and faithfully shapes us in the image of His Son. Finally, the testing complete, He will bring us into the abundant peace of His eternal presence and, according to His promise, grant to us the crown of life.
WE PRAY: Lord, when I am tested, keep me steadfast in faith and grant to me Your abundant peace. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler.
Reflection Questions:
- Do you recall a time when you felt like you were being tested by God? What was the outcome?
- What are some of the blessings that can come to people when God tests them?
- How can you support others who may find themselves being “tested”?
Today's Readings:
1 Samuel 23Psalms 54
Psalms 63
Luke 22:47-71
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