The music came softly at first, the words striking a chord in my heart. Playing it over and over until finally shutting the car off.
“Look at the mountains we’ve climbed
Look at how faithful He’s been, to deliver us
Look at how far we’ve come
The story of unfailing love
Jesus has made a way, to deliver us
Look at how far we’ve come.”
(from “How Far We’ve Come”, by I am They)
Growing up in the church, I remember when there was a portion of the service dedicated to “testimonies“. Individuals were given opportunity to share about how God was at work in their daily life.
Testimonies, our stories, they matter.
“And they overcame him [Satan] because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.” (Revelation 12:11, NASB)
Our testimonies, our stories, become the means by which we overcome and defeat the enemy of our souls. Satan would love for nothing better than to destroy, or mar, our testimonies.
He works at trying to make our testimonies ineffective because He knows they wield a powerful effect when combined with God’s Word. Our stories can encourage others, infusing them with hope, as they hear of God’s work in our lives.
“Great faith is the product of great fights. Great testimonies are the results of great tests. Great triumphs can only come out of great trials.”
(Smith Wigglesworth)
John, in writing the epistles, wanted to make sure people for all time would be sure of Whom he was writing:
“What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life – and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us – what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.” (1 John 1:1-3, NASB)
“We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.” (1 John 4:14, NASB)
Our testimonies tell not of our own achievements but of God’s power at work in, and through, our situations.
Our testimonies are intricately woven down through the ages
into the fabric of God’s grander testimony –
The testimony of Jesus’ unfailing love and faithfulness to His children.
Testimonies, Stories, Journals. In her post, Ripples Through Time (HERE), Lisa Burgess shares about reading the journals of her mother, and then her own. In so doing, she discovered, “We each create tiny ripples every day—through our words, choices, and even our silences about the heartaches and joys we share, and the ones we keep close.” Be sure to read her precious and emotional thoughts.
Come, sit a spell. Bring your coffee, your posts, and your thoughts. If you link up, kindly visit those who have drawn up a seat around you.
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
