In Psalm 81 we find another Psalm of Asaph drawing on lessons from Israel’s history. Speaking from God’s perspective, he writes “In distress you called, and I delivered you; I answered you in the secret place of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah”.
The Israelites called to God in their distress, God heard and delivered them, answering their prayers. But the process didn’t end there; the Israelites were then tested. Deliverance wasn’t sufficient to develop Israel’s faith and character, they needed to be tested too.
Sadly Israel failed the test, “But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me”, but there is still a valuable lesson for us. God follows the same sequence in our lives. He listens when we cry to Him for help, and helps us in our time of distress. But He is also interested in developing and strengthening our characters, so we too are tested.