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TORQUE. In some situations, nuts and bolts must be torqued or tightened to precise footpounds of force. If undertorqued, they can loosen over time. If over-torqued, stress fractures can lead to failure. For example, as I was replacing the ceramic cartridge in our kitchen faucet last week, I needed to put 10 footpounds of torque on the collar nut holding the cartridge in place. Not having a torque wrench, I used a 10-inch crescent wrench. I kept tightening the collar nut until the pulling weight on a luggage scale was a little past 10 pounds (this compensated for the wrench being less than a foot). If it is too loose, a leak could develop under the cabinet, causing damage over time. If it is too tight, it could crack the brass collar, also causing a leak. James wrote to believers, saying, 'My brethren, consider it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith is producing endurance. And let endurance have its perfect work, that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing' (James 1:2-4). What I've learned over the past 40 years since savingly trusting Jesus as my Lord and Savior is that God has been working at maturing my faith through all sorts of various trials. And He knows precisely how many foot-pounds of torque, of pressure, that I can take in each of the varied tests He allows in my life. The same was true for Job. We can't even begin to imagine all that God allowed him to face the loss of his wealth, his health, his servants, and his 10 children. But God knew exactly how much Job could handle. And He seemingly torqued down on him to the precise limit he could bear without breaking. Later, Job was able to say, 'But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold' (23:10). God doesn't torque us to break us, but to mature us. If we are true children of God, we can trust our Creator no matter the torque He applies!
