246th Meditation
“You know me, O Lord, you see me, you probe my heart, which is close to yours” (Jer 12:3).
Blessed is the one who can join in Jeremiah’s words! Many adversities preceded this declaration of the prophet, for God had tested his faithfulness and, through many struggles, Jeremiah was able to endure.
The Heavenly Father also tests our faithfulness, and it is a special grace that He does so. He wants to be able to count on us in the “work of love” He has entrusted to us. We can be sure that He will always give us what we need to “jump the bar”. Thus, with each trial we overcome, our heart will be anchored deeper in Him.
And even if we have been weak and failed, our Father can use defeat for our good, strengthening our humility and gratitude to Him.
In this context, suffering takes on a special role. Bearing it in God is a high level in the school of love, because naturally we all prefer to avoid suffering. But if we accept the cross, it makes us grow in love, and by bearing it with patience we demonstrate this love to the Lord.
Let us not be afraid when God tests us!
Our Father’s intention is not only to show us how weak we are – although this is also a very important lesson for our often hidden pride – but He wants us, in the midst of situations of suffering, to remain faithful to Him. This is what will give firmness and perseverance to our heart, and purify us deeply, so that we can then resist temptations to turn away from God even in the slightest. Then we will know that it is only by His grace that we have been able to resist, even if we ourselves have done our bit to glorify God and strengthen our hearts.
The dark times in which we find ourselves are a time of testing of hearts. Will we remain faithful to the Lord and to our faith?
Our Father equips us with everything we need. Those who have been on the way of the Lord for a long time need solid food to grow. Thus, times of darkness can become times of special testing for those who love God, so that, together with the prophet Jeremiah, they can exclaim: “You, O Lord (…), probe my heart, which is close to yours”.