God took the little nation of Israel and isolated them in a wilderness. He was placing them in a school of testing to produce a people who would trust in him no matter the circumstances. He wanted Israel to testify, “I can go through any test, any difficulty, even those beyond my abilities. How? I know that my God is with me in every trial. He will always bring me through.”
Consider Moses’ statement to Israel: “So [God] humbled you, allowed you to hunger…that he might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 8:3, NKJV).
One of the worst trials any human could undergo is recorded in Job. He lost all of his children in a tragic accident, and then he lost his possessions. Finally, he lost his physical health. All these things happened in such a short time that they were utterly overwhelming.
God had put Job on this path, and the Lord alone knew where it eventually would lead. It was a plan so divinely orchestrated that God even allowed Satan to afflict Job. That’s why Job couldn’t see God in any of it. “Look, I go forward, but he is not there, and backward, but I cannot perceive him; when he works on the left hand, I cannot behold him; when he turns to the right hand, I cannot see him. He knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:8–10). Here is an incredible statement, especially considering the context in which Job spoke it.
Job was saying, “God knows everything I’m enduring. He knows the way through it all. My Lord is trying me right now. I’m confident he’ll bring me through with a stronger faith. I’ll come out with a faith more precious than gold.”
God has always wanted a people who would be totally reliant on him before the eyes of the world. The Lord is telling us, “I orchestrated your trial. I am waiting for you to come to the end of all your self-reliance. I’m allowing you to experience a place of human helplessness, and it will require a miracle of deliverance from me.” Today, the Lord is still looking for people who’ll rely totally on him. He wants an unsaved world to see that he works mightily for those who love him.