When God Tests and When God Refines

The Hebrew language gives us profound insight into the ways of God, how He shapes, molds, and matures His sons and daughters.

When Scripture says that Abraham’s faith was “tested”, the word used is נָסָה (nacah, naw-saw’) a verb meaning to test, to prove, to try, to put to the test.

“After these things God tested (nacah) Abraham and said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’”

Genesis 22:1

This test wasn’t about exposing weakness but about revealing maturity. Abraham’s test came after a long journey of obedience, trust, and intimacy with God. He had history with the Lord. He had already been purged and purified through his walk of obedience, leaving his homeland, believing for the impossible promise, and learning to trust God even when the promise tarried.

So when God told him to offer Isaac, the son of promise, Abraham didn’t argue or delay. He rose early in the morning and set out in faith. Notice his maturity in what he says to his servants:

“Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.”

Genesis 22:5

What a powerful statement of trust! He calls the act of obedience worship. Abraham knew God well enough to know that He would provide, because obedience, to him, wasn’t about loss but about love. It was the fear of the Lord, not a fear that shrinks back in terror, but a holy reverence that says, “I trust You completely because I know You.”

Obedience is worship. It’s how we show our Father that we love and honor Him, that we trust His ways even when they defy logic. Abraham’s faith was being tested not to break him, but to reveal what had already been formed within him.

Now let's look at Joseph's testing.

In Psalm 105:18–19, we read:

“His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron;

until what he had said came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him.”

Here, the Hebrew word for “tested” is צָרַף (tsaraph, tsaw-raf’), meaning to fuse, to refine, to purify as a goldsmith refines metal.

This word carries a completely different weight. It’s the word used for purging impurities through fire. It’s not about proving faith that already stands mature, but about transforming the heart until it is ready to carry the weight of destiny.

Joseph’s process was one of refinement, of being stripped of pride, arrogance, resentment, and unforgiveness. Though God had given him dreams of greatness, he was not yet ready to rule until he had learned to serve. He was refined in the furnace of affliction, betrayed by his brothers, falsely accused, forgotten in prison, until his heart reflected the humility, compassion, and wisdom of Christ.

Where Abraham was tested to prove his faith, Joseph was refined to purify his character.

The difference is profound:

Testing (nacah) reveals what’s already in you.

Refining (tsaraph) transforms what must still be changed within you.

Both are expressions of God’s love, but they meet us at different stages of our journey.

Abraham had walked with God long enough to trust Him in the dark. Joseph was learning who God was in the dark, learning to trust Him through the fire.

The testing of faith and the refining of character both prepare us for divine elevation. The wilderness is not punishment, it’s preparation. The furnace is not abandonment, it’s refinement. God never wastes a fire.

To be refined is to be remade. It’s the yielding of our desires, our timing, and our plans into His hands. It’s allowing the Potter to shape and reshape us until the vessel is fit to carry His glory.

So whether you find yourself in a season of testing like Abraham or refining like Joseph, remember this: yield to the process. Don’t resist it. Humility is the key that unlocks elevation.

Let go of control. Abandon yourself fully into His hands. He knows exactly what He’s doing.

When you yield to His refining fire, He will bring you out pure as gold, ready, radiant, and refined for purpose.

And in due time, just as He did for Abraham and Joseph, the Lord will lift you up.

He will pour out His glory through you.

So stay on the altar, beloved. The Potter’s hands are trustworthy.

The wilderness season prepares us for greatness, for expansion, for elevation. Obeying God is an act of worship. Yield to His process, because your moment of elevation is coming.

Rosangela Atte

#theshifthercoaching