Challenging God

Throughout Scripture, putting God to the test is typically bad because it displays a lack of trust in God. There are, however, times when challenging God is encouraged.

In Malachi 3, God charged Israel with robbing Him. They had not brought the tithes and contributions the Law required. In verse ten, God says, “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.” God welcomed Israel to challenge Him—not out of distrust but out of faithful, trusting obedience.

When we faithfully and trustingly serve God, we will find that He will always meet the challenge and prove faithful. The question is, are we ready to meet His challenge? Are we prepared to put our complete trust in Him and obey His Word?