Let’s practice talking about how good God has been.
To be sure, it’s less a skill than it is an outpouring of our soul. It doesn’t take a whole lot to do. But it does seem to take a lot to get started. Once you’re in the habit of talking about God’s goodness, you find it easier to do.
Worship lessens the effort needed.
When you’re focusing your heart on God through prayer and praise, thinking of how you’ve experienced God’s grace is painless. It almost feels natural.
I try to get worshipers talking in worship. Talking to each other about God. I’d love to be singing one Sunday morning and glimpse two believers sharing testimony and praying with each other. Several of you, at some point, have known me as your pastor. Did you notice how much I tried to get you to testify?
To voice your testimony? To stand up and tell the rest of the church how God has blessed you? That’s the kind of talking in church we need more of. If God is so good, tell us about it.
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so!
We need to hear how God is moving in your life. We need to know what faith lessons you have journeyed through. What the Lord has taught you, we need to learn, too.
Many of the redeemed are hesitant to testify.
I’m not sure there’s a single reason. It may have to do with shyness or fear of ridicule. Maybe people will judge what I say the way I judge what other people say–that’s something else we’ll need to address later.
Aversion to testimony may be engrained in our tradition. I can’t tell you how many people pride themselves on this. Parents expected children to sit still and in silence during worship. Maybe that helped us feel like we had order. But now no one wants to say anything.
Learning to testify to the church prepares you to testify to the world.
When you can freely speak of God’s goodness to your church family you’ll get more comfortable finding ways to do so with people you meet who are not a part of God’s church. All of this is part of what Paul had in mind when he talked about living for the praise of God’s glory (Ephesians 1:12).
Not only that, learning to talk about God’s goodness helps put everything else in life in its proper place. You can see better through difficult seasons and valleys. Your priorities transform. The life of redeemed people is fulfilled because they are filled with praise of God.
Stay blessed…john
