Hard times are TESTING times especially in regard to our ATTITUDE towards leadership. I once heard a secular leader say, "Everybody knows how to do my job better than I do." Now this person is the MOST successful in his field, so it was ironic that he would say this. What he really meant was, "Everybody THINKS they know how to do my job better than I do, but in REALITY, most don't have a clue." Anyone who has ever been in leadership knows this feeling. Armchair, Monday morning quarterbacks ABOUND. In their minds they always KNOW BETTER. A spirit that is always critical and resists leadership is not godly. It FLUNKS the test.

Certainly, we must always do our own thinking. As Christians we should NEVER assume the mindset of the cultist that just checks their brains at the door and follows the guru. No, we are to evaluate (discern) everything and then respond accordingly (cf. 1 Cor. 2:15; 1 Thess 5:21). However, as believers in Christ we are to OBEY the governing authorities at every point unless they command us to disobey God. Then we have to obey God rather than men (cf. cf. Rom. 13:1-2; Titus 3:1; 1 Pet. 2:13-14; Acts 5:29).

Life is largely about the issue of AUTHORITY! God is the ultimate authority, but He has ordained authority in the realm of the home, in the state, and in the Church. All of us are under AUTHORITY and how we respond to the authorities God has put us under is a reflection on our attitude towards God Who has ordained these authorities. The issue of AUTHORITY always circles back to God. And in this matter of AUTHORITY we are often TESTED - especially in HARD TIMES.

Deuteronomy 8:2 (NKJV)
2 And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.

One of the KEY ways God's tested His people in the wilderness was in relationship to their attitude towards God-ordained AUTHORITY. They consistently FLUNKED the test - especially in times of crisis. The human tendency is to BLAME leadership when things turn hard. And people specialize in "group think" that follows the herd in this respect.

No sooner had the children of Israel left Egypt and they lacked water. That is a CRISIS for sure! Exodus 15:24 says, "And the people complained against Moses...". Verse 25 goes on to say that it was there God "tested them". THEY FLUNKED THE TEST! They went a little further and lacked food. Another CRISIS! Exodus 16:2 says, "Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness." Again, they FLUNKED the test! Moses pointed out to the people on this occasion: "Your complaints are not against us but against the LORD." (Ex. 16:8) In Exodus 17:3 the saga continued as "the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses...". Yet again they FLUNKED the test!

When Israel heard the report of the spies and the size of the giants in the land of promise Numbers 14:2 says, "And all the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron...". Once again, they FLUNKED the test! In Numbers 16 Korah and fellow rebels tried to put Moses and Aaron DOWN and themselves UP. It amounted to a "hostile takeover attempt". When it comes to God-ordained leadership that is total FOLLY! And God KILLED them for it. But Numbers 16:41 says, "On the next day all the congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron, saying, 'You have killed the people of the LORD.'” That is called FLUNKING the test!

Once again in Numbers 20 the people were lacking water. Numbers 20:2 says, "Now there was no water for the congregation; so they gathered together against Moses and Aaron." Humanly speaking I can certainly understand the pent-up frustration of Moses. These people were always FLUNKING the test. They were forever blaming God-ordained leadership and thereby really blaming God! God at that time told Moses to speak to the rock and it would bring forth water, but Moses in anger struck the rock twice. In this Moses also FLUNKED the test and because of it was not allowed entranced into the promised land.

By way of application note it well:

God is SOVEREIGN!
We are being TESTED!
CRISIS times are TESTING times!

And one KEY way we are tested is in how we respond to God-ordained authority that God has placed over us. Note Deut. 8:2 very carefully. Moses said to the next generation, "you shall remember that the LORD God led you all the ways these forty years in the wilderness". In all their complaining against the human leadership they failed to realize that really it was God Who was sovereignly leading them. It's so easy to complain about human leadership, but in truth God is sovereign over everything that is happening to us.

Moses said that God led in such a way as "to humble you and test you". God humbles us, meaning He puts us in impossible situations where we have to depend upon Him. And these times serve as TESTING times with the issue being whether we will trust God or not. A sure indication that we are NOT trusting God is when we complain about human leadership that God has put in place. And of course, being human, there is always plenty to complain about. All have weaknesses and faults. But the NT does not instruct us to COMPLAIN about them, but rather to pray for them. I sometimes think we complain so loudly because we are way too "earth-oriented" instead of being properly God-oriented, gospel-oriented, and eternity-oriented.

Finally, Moses said that God led in this way, "to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not." The great issue in life is about the HEART. How we respond to the HARD TESTING TIMES reveals what is truly in our heart. Will we trust and obey God? That is the ultimate issue. God TESTS us to see what our HEART attitude is really all about.

Romans 13:1–5 (NKJV)
1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.
2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.
3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same.
4 For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.
5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake.

1 Timothy 2:1–4 (NKJV)
1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,
2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.