S59P2 – Acts of worship: testifying to him
1 Chr. 16:8-9
Oh give thanks to the Lord ; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!
It was the trip of a lifetime, and she could not believe she would have the opportunity to go. She had wanted to do missions for some time but did not think it would be in the cards for her. To prepare for the trip, each team member was asked to write a short testimony to have available to share at the drop of a hat. It took some time, but she eventually got her story down on paper. She read over it over and over, making sure that she hit all the points she wanted to hit. When it came time for the teammates to get together and share what they had written, she noticed something. Her story was about her life while the others’ stories focused not on themselves but on God and what He had done in their lives. She realized she had written a testimony of herself and not her Father.
When we are challenged to testify to the goodness of God, the miraculous power that He has displayed in our lives, it can be easy to fall into the trap of making the story about us. At the end of the day, these are not our stories. It is not my story, and it is not your story. Our lives are stories that God himself has written, and we are just there to tell them. We are not the authors, and we do not get the glory. When our testimony is more about us than about him, then we are really just praising ourselves. We are forgetting that this is an act of worship, and we need to worship the One who is the author and perfector of our faith. When we testify to others about who God is and what He has done, we should have the posture of bowing in worship.
When we talk to others about God without shame or fear, we are making a statement of allegiance and belief in him. This is worship because we put all other concerns aside to bring attention to our Creator. This is worship because we are proclaiming the truth of his power and majesty. This is worship because our testimony is the way that we thank him for all that He has done to change us. Thanking God one-on-one is something great, but thanking him for others to hear and see opens the door for them to receive his goodness, too. Father, give us hearts that worship You with praise in private and in public, that our testimonies of your goodness would bring You glory before others.