Abraham had waited many years for God to fulfill his covenant and give him the promised son, Isaac. All at once, though, God wanted Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. Abraham didn’t flinch; he obeyed God. God really didn’t want Isaac to die; He only wanted to know how far Abraham would trust Him. It was Abraham’s proving ground.

Hagar wandered in the desert, heartbroken thinking her and her son, Ishmael would perish with no water or food. She even walked away from Ishmael so she would not have to see him suffer and die. But God saw her and directed her to water. Even though she was an Egyptian, she called Him ‘the God who sees me’ (Gen 16:13). The desert was her proving ground.

The people were tired, hungry, frightened, and unsure. They had left a home behind only to flounder in wilderness. They had been surrounded by the wealth of Egypt only to be surrounded by a desert. True, they had been slaves in Egypt, but they had food; they had a roof over their heads; wasn’t that better than this dismal landscape. This was the Israelites proving ground.

Jesus went to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane as He knew the hour of His betrayal was near. He prayed for the cup to pass over Him. Yet, He wanted God’s will done above all else. Gethsemane developed His desire for humanity to be saved; it was Christ’s proving ground.

Webster’s defines ‘proving ground’ as "a place where something is developed or tried out". For the Christian, it can seem all of life is a proving ground. However, we face trial after trial and storm after storm to develop our faith and try our obedience. Only trials can produce faith, patience, and a close relationship with Christ. It is in the proving ground of life that we develop our love for Jesus, and an overwhelming desire to put God’s will above our own. Without the proving ground, we would be nothing; we would stand on nothing but quicksand destined to be sucked into the mire of sin and death.

When it seems you see nothing but a proving ground, remember it is for a reason that you do not yet understand. One small trial can give you strength to face a larger trial. Little by little our faith, love and obedience are built within the proving ground.