Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins. ~Psalm 7:9
Our hearts as defined by Strong's Dictionary are the seat of our physical life and the center of our spiritual lives... the fountain and seat of the thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, affections, purposes, endeavors, intelligence and our will of character. Everything we think or decide, do or say, begins in our hearts. Our "reins" are defined most literally as our kidneys - our seat of emotions and affections. One good friend pointed out to me that our kidneys are responsible for the purification of our blood - similar to how we are purified through Jesus' blood.
The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD's throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men. ~Psalm 7:5
The Lord tries us, examines us, and proves us - this same word "try" is used to describe the purification of gold. Such as the Lord tries us, our beauty in Him is revealed. When the Lord establishes His people, he is making us firm and stable - fixed and determined to be settled and prepared for His works in and through us.
What does this look like? What does it feel like? From personal experience it seems that those things of the world that tempt us – the sin held before us – are those trials that God allows to determine if we are who we really say we are; if our faith and our trust are truly in Him. He allows Satan to tempt us with the things of the world, though He does not tempt us Himself. He allows trials in our lives to prove our character and reliance solely on Him—but He will never allow us to be tempted beyond that which we can handle.
“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” ~1 Corinthians 10:13
There is comfort in this, however… Comfort in knowing that our Lord loves us so much that He is making us stronger to prove ourselves in Him despite our ever-present unworthiness. …if we weren’t striving for righteousness, then He wouldn’t take the time to do this.
The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. ~Psalm 7:6
May the Lord continue to try us and may we pursue righteousness in His name as the cross is set before us and the world is behind us. Never looking back, may we walk with Jesus…
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