THUS SAITH THE LORD, "CHEAT ON THAT TEST!" - "Feed on His Faithfulness" Devotional #27

 

"Do not fret...trust in the Lord...the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in the time of trouble."
– Psalms 37:1-39 (NKJV, excerpts)

 

"No! Marty! We've already agreed that having information about the future can be extremely dangerous. Even if your intentions are good, it can backfire drastically! Whatever you've got to tell me, I'll find out through the natural course of time."
― "Doc" Emmett Brown, from Back to the Future (Universal Studios, 1985)

[Later in the movie ...]

Marty McFly: "Bulletproof vest? How did you know? I never got a chance to tell you."

[Doc smiles and retrieves an old piece of paper from his pocket. Marty opens it and discovers it's the warning letter that, in 1955, he had handed to Doc, who had immediately torn it up and discarded it.  But here it was, all taped together.] 

Marty: What about all that talk about [backfiring and unraveling] future events? The space-time continuum?

Doc: Well, I figured, what the ...?
* * *

If you're reading this devotional segment directly on the blog, your first question will be why it's "Devotional #27," when this week's should have been #6.  

Glad you asked!  We're jumping the gun, uncorking a spoiler from near the end of the Psalm 37 message.  And it's all in keeping with our lead-in verse, verse 39, which says, "The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in the time of trouble."

The conclusion of today's devotional—the spoiler of the spoiler—is this: Our loving "Abba [Daddy], Father," King of the Universe and Lover of our soul, He Who wrote the end of our story before ever it began ... He already wrote it to be a happy ending ("the salvation of the righteous"), and He will bear us, in the "strength" of His loving arms, through every "time of trouble" along the way until that final ending.

Or, as Psalms 34:19 states it, "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all."

"But," you may say, "surely that's poetic hyperbole!  I've faced countless afflictions and trials in my journey with Jesus and, let's be honest, not all had a happy ending by any reckoning!"

Hey, I'm right there with you!

But that's why they're called "trials," right?  James exhorts us to "...Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." (James 1:2-4)

As a wise old preacher once said, "God is the God of miracles, yes.  But He's also the God Who will put you in a situation where the only way out is through a miracle!"

In other words, our loving Father quite intentionally lets us face very real, and often painful, difficulties in order to strengthen our faith.  That's right—to perfect our ability to be patient and utterly dependent on Him, knowing that "He's got this one too!" no matter how dark and desperate our circumstances might appear.

Ponder this excerpt from an article by author and speaker Sue Maakestad:

Jesus told Peter to come out and walk on the water with Him. How come He waited to calm the storm till after they were back in the boat (Matthew 14:24-32)? How come God allowed the three Hebrew children in Daniel 3:13-30 to be thrown into the fiery furnace before they could see the fourth man 'like the Son of God' in the fire with them (v. 25)? How come Jesus waited another two days when Lazarus was on his death bed 'because He loved him' (John 11:5-6)?  

 

This is a test. This is only a test. Please notice, God was right there for each of them and carried them through to the other side—and He's right there for you too.
 

— From "Banquet on the Battlefield" (by Sue Maakestad, The Door World Outreach / Bullseye Publication / June 2023)

[Read the full article here.]

The sad truth, though, is that while He's right there rooting for us to pass the test ... more often than not we fail!  And when we fail a test?  You got it!... Just like the SATs, we have to take it again, generally with a different set of "questions" or challenges, over and over if necessary, until we finally pass and He can proudly say, "Well done!"

How, then do I skip right to the part where I pass?  How do I avoid taking these tests over and over?

Simple answer. That verse from James holds the master key: it's "the testing of your faith."  Meaning ... God's not testing my ability to solve complex problems, my mastery of obscure spiritual truths, my bravado in the face of torture, how stiff an upper lip I keep while my cranium's being smashed against the pavement.  No, no, NO!  All He wants to see is that, the moment I encounter adversity from any quarter, I burst into His throne room, make a beeline for His loving arms, and say, "Abba! Daddy!  The bullies are after me again.  Please, You show them what-for!"

That simple?  Yes, that simple.  Every trial is a test of faith.  And the only correct answer to a test of faith is ... faith.

"But that's cheating!" you say.  "Are you suggesting that the whole point of this test—of every test throughout my Christian life—is that God wants me to do nothing?  Let Him do everything!?"

Now you're getting it!

Remember Matthew 11:29-30: "Take My yoke upon you ... find rest for your souls ... My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

The quicker I thrust my neck into that yoke in "time of trouble" (Psalms 37:39), the sooner I find myself letting go and allowing the omnipotent arm of the Lord to bring me salvation from the crisis at hand.  I've discovered the divine Law of Cheating at last—skipping directly to the part where I pass the test of faith, where I yield my neck to His yoke and let Him score a perfect A+, with bonus points, on my behalf.  And I'm loving it!

Does that mean my faith will never again face a trial?  Of course it doesn't mean that.  But I've passed this one, which means I'm stronger to face the next, and the next, and the next.  And Father God is proud to see me grow and mature as His beloved child.

Sure, not every step we take on life's journey is a trial or test.  (Thank God for that!)  And sure, we skipped over episodes 6-26 of our study to reveal this "spoiler" about the tests we all face, not only at major intervals in our spiritual journey, but at frequent moments all along the way.  But the underlying principle is the same for each step of our life, whether or not we're in the throes of a trial.  It's the truth of Psalm 37, which is, "Do not fret.  Trust in the Lord.  Feed on His faithfulness."

***

Let me step out of character for the moment and disclose why I've jumped ahead to Episode #27 of our series.  It's the inexpressible joy that fills my heart today, even as I find myself smack dab in the midst of the greatest trial I've ever faced.  In fact, rewind to the beginning of this year, when I felt led to diverge from my usual themes of prayer and revival and instead do a devotional series about how the yoke of Jesus is easy and light.  To be honest, I came back to God in prayer a few times with "Are You sure!?" before I was convinced I'd heard right.  And so I started this blog series, cranking out the first five installments over a few months' time.

Fast-forward to 1 month ago—May 8, 2025—as I sat in my family doctor's office for a routine physical.  We went over the usual small complaints and annoyances with my sixty-plus-year-old body, same as during other visits.  I reminded him that, since being sick with COVID-19 four years ago, I've had this annoying chest congestion and cough.  So, he ordered yet another "CAT scan" of my chest. (I'd had two before, as well as an X-ray, but they'd showed nothing relevant.)

Exactly 13 days later (May 21), I was sitting in that same chair in his office, with my loving wife by my side this time, listening to him explain all the frightening evidences of cancer that had turned up in the reading of this latest CAT scan that had just come back from the imaging center.  Yikes!!

We were both stunned and numb, listening incredulously as he articulated the next steps—in-depth testing and appointments with various cancer specialists.  Immediately, if not sooner!

How did this happen?  Where was God and why didn't He keep it from happening!?  Sure, my wife and I have been through many "dangers, toils, and snares" in our roughly half-a-century journey with Jesus.  But something like this still knocks the legs out from under you!

Right away, we began to remind each other of how God has been faithful all these years, how He's the same yesterday, today, and forever, and (last we checked) He's still on the throne!  Even in our state of shock—thank God—we had the presence of mind to stop, pray, and lay it all at His feet, even though our spirit was trembling inside.  As David did in I Samuel 30:6, when he was "greatly distressed," he "strengthened himself in the Lord his God."

My wife received a word of revelation from Matthew 11 (same as this blog series); she said that God was telling her that His yoke is easy.  That He's got this one too ... if we'll only release it to Him.  Place our feeble necks in His glorious yoke.  And so we did.

Of course, we also reached out to the Body of Christ for prayer.  That same afternoon, my wife asked one of her friends from church to pray for peace, which she did.  Wow, did that make a difference!  There was a tangible mantle of the Holy Spirit's peace that descended and blanketed us.  (When someone's going through a trial and asks you to pray for peace, don't think for a moment that it'll make no difference.  It most certainly does!)

In fact, we were suddenly so at peace and wrapped in the Savior's love that, when my wife's sister came to the house that evening and asked, "So, how did that doctor visit turn out?" all I could respond with was, "Hallelujah, I've got cancer!"  (And, I sincerely meant the "hallelujah" part!)

Long story short, there may be a long road ahead.  I have four more tests coming up.  More visits with cancer specialists.  Perhaps a treatment plan that's uncomfortable (to say the least).  God may choose just to heal me outright, or He may drag it out a bit.  

But it's gonna be okay.

Why?

First, because I've chosen to cheat on this test (with Abba-Daddy's permission, of course).  For once, and undoubtedly because He graciously got me started ahead of time on this blog about Psalm 37 and Matthew 11—as well as equally graciously dropping that same message into my wife's spirit—we were able to immediately realize our need to fly to His arms and place our neck in His yoke.  It's a test of faith (same as all trials).  We place our faith in Him and lay the test paper at His feet so He will ace this test for us.  Which means the grade will be A+.

Awesome. So ... is that all?

Glad you asked!  No, there's more.  In fact, I've saved the best for last.

Back to our lead-in excerpts from the text: "Do not fret...trust in the Lord...the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in the time of trouble."

See, there's another hack—another divine cheat—hidden in that passage, and it's an easy one to miss.  But, praise God, He's helped me not miss it, because it's been, not only a lifeline, but a well of joy springing up in both my own heart and my wife's!

Here's the divine progression (which, though well documented throughout Scripture, is so easy to miss)....

Cheat #1 is, when facing a test of our faith, we must resist the urge to conquer the test in our own strength.  Again, all tests are faith tests, so run to Him, place the neck in that yoke, and trust Him to do the rest.  By letting Him ace the test, we ace the test.

Cheat #2 is to further trust Him to give us true joy and strength for as long as the trial endures.  That part takes an extra "oomph" of faith, but it's like bonus points on the test.  The Apostle Paul stated that he was able to rejoice in his trials (Romans 5:3).  Not just lay them at Jesus' feet and endure the trial by Jesus' mighty power, but ... actually be joyful throughout the process!

Why is that a cheat?

Because, in order to be joyful, one must believe not only that God will walk with us through the trial and lighten the load, but further, that the outcome will be victory!

Consider "Doc" Emmett Brown in his Back to the Future moment.  While visiting the year 1955, Marty had handed Doc a warning letter.  But Doc tore up the letter ... refused to read it ... due to his personal convictions on the topic of knowing one's own future.  In fact, Doc didn't know (though he possibly suspected) that the letter would inform him how he would meet his death thirty years later.

When the two met again in 1985, it was just in time for Marty to witness (once again) the very moment Doc was gunned down by the Libyan terrorists.  But this time turned out quite different, because Doc was wearing a bulletproof vest!

A cheat?  Yes, absolutely!  Though the scene had unfolded same as "before," and the Libyans had opened fire as foreseen (presumably because one cannot change the events that are to come his way), this time Doc had cheated the bullets.  How?  Simply by reading the message, knowing what the future held, and availing himself of the one thing he himself could do to prevent those bullets from piercing his heart.  So he knew his tryst with death would not end in tragedy after all.

Stick with me here, because this is a key truth that opens a great storehouse of blessing, as it relates to the trials we all face on our Christian journey....

See, even if we've mastered Cheat #1—even if we're experts at running straight to the Father's arms when we face a trial of faith, asking Him to escort us through the very Valley of the Shadow of Death—that doesn't mean we can honestly "rejoice in our trials," as Paul stated we should.  Especially if literal death is at stake, right!?  Why?  Because we don't know what the outcome will be.

But oh, the majesty of Cheat #2!  Oh, the tender love of our Lord Christ, which is too marvelous to comprehend! (Ephesians 3:19)  There are certain times—not all times, mind you, but certain ones—where in His infinite grace He will "slip us a note": a Scripture that suddenly jumps off the page, something in the evening news or a conversation with a friend that "lights up" with a hidden message we know is from God, or maybe during a prayer time where we just feel the Holy Spirit's presence in an almost tangible/audible way assuring us, "It's gonna be all right!"

That is when we can jump up and down shouting, "Glory, hallelujah!" with sincere and unquenchable joy.  Not because the trial has ended.  Oh, no! we're still right smack in the Valley of Shadow (as I am at this moment), trusting Him to carry us through.  Rather, it's joy unspeakable and full of glory because He's let us cheat!  He's given us a glimpse of how this whole thing will end, and it's a bright outcome after all!  If we'll just cling to that glimpse in faith, never doubting, the bullets of the enemy cannot penetrate our joy-filled heart.  Indeed, the joy of the Lord is our strength.  It's our bullet-proof vest.  (Nehemiah 8:10)

So, how did this second cheat come into play for my wife and me in our own Valley of the Shadow of Death?

Well, as you already know, we recognized this to be a trial of faith (same as all trials are) and ran straight to His arms, casting our cares upon Him and asking Him to take full control.  That was Cheat #1.  But, to be honest, though we felt at peace—as I mentioned, I had the power to say, "Hallelujah, I've got cancer!" ... and mean it—we did not immediately experience much joy.  In fact, none at all.  More like ... fear and foreboding!

Yet Father God, in His infinite mercy, knew that we couldn't make it through this one without Cheat #2.  So, throughout the next few days He began "slipping us notes"—in Scripture, prayer times, words from brothers and sisters praying with us over the phone, etc.—hinting that this dark journey should end not in death, but in victory.  Our fear began to crack, and rays of sunshine penetrated the darkness, but no joy as of yet.

And then it happened!  It suddenly came to mind that I'd spent time in prayer back in January (a full four months before these current events), asking God whether it was His will for us to plan a certain two-week travel vacation that we were considering for this fall (October/November).  At the time, I believed to have heard the answer—in a most unusual and emphatic way—as, "Yes, go!"  So, I had immediately proceeded with booking the vacation.  

Well, in retrospect now I wondered, "What's up with that!?"  Had God prompted me to book a trip that (as today's circumstances suggested) I would never live to see?  Of course not.  Thank God, I know Him better than to think that, for there is no deceit in Him.

But the likely possibility was, even though I'd thought I heard Him give a resounding "yes" ... I heard wrong!  Even the Apostle Paul said, "We see through a glass darkly" (I Corinthians 13:12), and we get a glimpse of him and his traveling companions struggling to discern the will of God during one of their own missionary journeys—the Macedonian incident of Acts 16:6-10.

I wasted no time pulling up my prayer notes from that Sunday afternoon in January. (I keep a notebook with all the details of my times with God: dates and times, what my questions were, what I felt He was telling me, as well as Scriptures I felt led to read—which generally gave me guidance or encouragement concerning that day's questions.)

On that occasion, I had taken extra-detailed notes, not just because it was a major life decision, but in response to my own amazement at all the crystal-clear answers I felt He was giving during my Scripture reading time.  And that's when I found it! The "note" He had slipped me, which I had "torn up."  The Scripture I had jotted down but immediately dismissed as "encouraging but totally irrelevant" to that day's prayer time.  But oh, how gloriously relevant it turned out to be, now that I "taped it back together" so to speak (as Doc had done) and looked at it a second time!  And this is how it goes:

Then surely you could lift up your face without spot;
Yes, you could be steadfast, and not fear;
Because you would forget your misery,
And remember it as waters that have passed away,
And your life would be brighter than noonday.
Though you were dark, you would be like the morning.
And you would be secure, because there is hope;
Yes, you would dig around you, and take your rest in safety.
You would also lie down, and no one would make you afraid...
(Job 11:15-19a, NKJV)

Hallelujah!  Cheat #2 on full display!!  While giving me direction for an event near the end of the year, He had also secretly disclosed that, by the time October rolls around, all our "misery" will be like water under the bridge!  I immediately dissolved in tears of unspeakable joy, even in the face of the current ongoing trial.  And I still can't go back and read that passage without tears.

As the old hymn "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" tells us:

Have we trials and temptations?
  Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged,
  Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful
  Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness,
  Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Indeed, He knows our every weakness; He knows we are but flesh (Psalms 78:39).  He will not allow us to endure a trial we cannot bear.  And sometimes it's a trial so severe that Cheat #1 alone—laying our troubles at His feet and letting Him pass the "test" for us—just won't cut it.  He knows we will be overwhelmed with grief at the likely destination to which this dark Shadow-of-Death path is leading us, unless He graciously "slips us a note" (Cheat #2) that floods us with joy unspeakable and strength for the journey.

Does this always happen? I believe not.  However, there is ample precedent in Scripture where we do see our loving Lord graciously provide the assurances of "Cheat #2" to allay fear and enable His people to endure and carry on—especially when facing life-and-death sorts of trials.  For example:

- When the Israelites were caught between Pharaoh's army (who were about to slaughter them) and the mighty Red Sea, the Lord spoke through Moses saying, "The Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever." (Exodus 14:14)

- Numerous times when His people faced certain death at the hands of invading forces far greater than themselves, such when Isaiah prophesied (to Hezekiah) the miraculous lifting of Sennacherib's siege of Jerusalem, which was to occur within a few days. (II Kings 19)

- When messengers came from Jairus's house to inform him that his daughter was dead, Jesus told him, "Fear not, only believe." Indicating, of course, that she would not stay dead. (Mark 5:36)

- When Martha encountered Jesus outside the town after her brother Lazarus had been dead for four days, Jesus told her, "Your brother shall rise again." (John 11:23)

To recap from the top of this segment: Our loving "Abba [Daddy], Father," King of the Universe and Lover of our soul, He Who wrote the end of our story before ever it began ... He already wrote it to be a happy ending ("the salvation of the righteous"), and He will bear us, in the "strength" of His loving arms, through every "time of trouble" along the way until that final ending.

And as we have further learned, His compassion is boundless, to the point that He will sometimes reveal to us by His Spirit (if we're listening) what the final outcome of the trial will be, so we are filled with the joy of the Lord that gives us strength to endure till the end.

Why not pray ...  

"Dear Father,
Thank You for Your indescribable gift of joy in tribulation—a cheat within a cheat that helps us ace the greatest trials of our faith!  As the author of the poem "Footprints in the Sand" so fittingly describes it, through the most difficult and painful moments of my life, that's when You carry me!  Please help me remember, when faced with a trial, that it's nothing other than a test of my faith—to relinquish control to You to resolve the adverse situation.  And when that situation is so dire that my strength would surely fail, O gracious Father, please afford me the joyous assurance that the outcome will be bright at last.  For, as the Psalmist said, You alone are my salvation and my strength in time of trouble.
In Jesus' name. Amen."

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Originally published as a “Bradstix” devotional on the National Minute of Prayer Facebook page 6/8/2025.

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