Can I get a witness?

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,”

I Peter 3:15

When was the last time you’ve heard someone give a testimony?

It seems testimonies are a thing of the past.

I was raised in church. Testimonies of salvation, God’s working power and answers to prayer were fairly common, but not so today. 

When asked to share some answers to prayer, you’ll often be met with silence; at least that’s been my recent experience. Why is that?

Is God not working?

Are our prayers falling on deaf ears?

No, God is the same God he’s always been. The book of Hebrews tells us that he’s the same yesterday, today and forever.

God’s not changed but maybe we have.

Here are some of my thoughts as to why people today don’t give many testimonies.

We’re not praying.

         James 4:2 reads that “we do not have because we do not ask God.”

Maybe doubt, self-sufficiency, ignorance, busyness and apathy have taken the place of prayer. We don’t think we need God, not really.

We’re afraid, not of God but of man.

We’re afraid of what others may think of us. Some of us are insecure. Our minds are filled with fears of “what if.”

• What if I offend?
• What if I overstep and say too much?
• What if my theology about God’s intervention is off?
• What if I’m rejected?
• What if I look foolish?

We’ve allowed the fear of what others think to determine how and when we give glory to God.

We’ve sometimes become “politically correct.”

Even about testifying to the working power of God in our lives. Some of us have fallen into the pressure of fitting in with the current thinking of our present day, whatever that is. We want to be accepted by others, and giving glory to God sometimes is not part of that acceptance. 

We’re not really expecting him to answer when we do pray, so we’re not aware of it when he does. 

We’re blind to the working power of God in this world, let alone his working in our lives. If we’re not looking for, and expecting God to work, we won’t see answers to our prayers when he does.

Testimonies are important.

Maybe you’re like me. When I hear someone share how God has answered prayer it makes me want to pray more. It turns my focus away from my doubts to God’s working power. 

Hearing others testify of God’s working power reminds us of how God uses imperfect people to accomplish his sovereign and amazing will. 

It’s not about being perfect or even good. It’s about trusting God to do what you can’t. It’s all about God. That’s why testimonies can be so powerful. They remind us of what God can do and how he can use us in prayer if we’ll just trust him to. 

So step out. 

Allow God to use you as you testify of his working power and grace in your life.

I’d like to challenge you to ask God not only for answered prayer, but also for opportunities to give a testimony of those answers.

You’ll never know how God can use you. 

After all, he is God!