When Faith is Tested

The Grandfather Gospels - Chapter 11

Spring break had turned the farmhouse into a lively, slightly chaotic place. The grandchildren were staying over, and the days were filled with garden work and preparations for the big family Easter Celebration. The air carried the fresh scent of turned soil and new growth.

Isaiah was helping Elias plant the delicate seedlings that he and Bethany had started in the hothouse. The morning was cool, and the ground still held the damp chill of early spring. Isaiah worked quickly, eager to finish the row. He pressed one small plant too firmly into the soil, and the tender stem snapped in his fingers.

“These keep breaking,” Isaiah muttered with frustration. "I knew that was going to happen. My hands won’t work right.”

Elias continued working steadily beside him, his weathered hands moving with patient care in the cool earth. “Rushing makes it harder,” he said gently. “Try working slowly and faithfully, Isaiah. These little plants need calm, careful hands.”

Bethany came out of the kitchen carrying a simple lunch on a tray — a big bowl of fresh spring greens, tossed with olive oil, fresh strawberries, farmers' cheese, and some bread. She set it on a nearby bench.

“God knows what we need in the proper time,” she said softly, brushing soil from her hands. “There is a season for everything. These greens are strong and just the tonic for us after winter. They remind us that sometimes the simple things strengthen us most.”

She smiled at the boys and returned inside.

Elias and Isaiah washed their hands at the rain barrel and sat down to eat. As they enjoyed the crisp salad, Elias spoke.

“Jesus faced a hard season of testing, too,” he said. “Right after He was baptized, the Spirit led Him into the wilderness for forty days. He was very hungry. That was when the enemy came to tempt Him.”

Elias opened his small Bible and read the account from Matthew 4 — how the devil urged Jesus to turn stones into bread, to throw Himself from the temple to test God, and to worship him in exchange for all the kingdoms of the world. Each time, Jesus answered with Scripture and remained faithful to His Father.

Isaiah listened closely. “The devil tried to get Him to take an easier way.”

“Yes,” Elias said. “The same enemy who came to Adam and Eve in the garden long ago.”

Isaiah sat up a little straighter. “In the beautiful garden, with plenty of food?”

“Exactly,” Elias replied. “Adam and Eve had everything they needed, but they listened to the serpent and chose not to trust God. Because of that choice, sin and brokenness came into the world. Everything became harder — sickness, pain, death, and separation from God.”

Isaiah looked down at the broken seedling still lying in the dirt. “But Jesus was in the wilderness… with nothing.”

Elias nodded. “Jesus was hungry, tired, and alone. Yet when the devil tempted Him, He trusted His Father completely. Where Adam failed, Jesus stayed faithful. That’s why Jesus is our Redeemer. He came to begin fixing what had been broken.”

The words settled deeply into Isaiah. One man in a perfect garden had everything but chose his own way. Another man in a harsh wilderness had almost nothing but chose obedience. One brought brokenness. The other brought hope.

“Faith isn’t just believing God exists,” Elias said gently. “It’s trusting Him enough to obey — especially when it’s hard, and no one else is watching.”

Isaiah thought about the broken seedling. “I was rushing because I wanted it done fast. That’s why it broke. I guess I do that sometimes.  I want things the easy way.”

Elias rested a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “We all do. But Jesus understands. He faced the hardest test of all and remained faithful to us. He gives us strength to keep trying — one careful plant, one calm choice at a time.”

After lunch, Isaiah worked more slowly with the seedlings. Some still broke, but he took a breath and tried again. Faith is often tested in quiet, unseen ways. Like tender seedlings that need patient, faithful hands, our hearts grow stronger through small choices to trust and obey — even when it would be easier to rush or give up. Where Adam failed, Jesus remained faithful, and because He did, He became our Redeemer.

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