This past weekend I was invited to share my testimony as part of our church service. Our pastor did a message called Life is not a game. They decorated the sanctuary like the game of life (they even made a giant-sized spinner - it looked very cool). He incorporated the testimonies of four people who had come to Christ (or come back to Him) at different stages in life - one in high school, one just after college, one after marriage, and one after a marriage ended. It was exciting to be given the chance to share with people, and humbling at the same time. For those of you who know me, you know I'm a talker. Whether I'm talking to one person or to a hundred, talking doesn't bother me. So I wasn't really nervous about being in front of people. I was more nervous about talking too much and too long, and no matter how much or how little time I took, I prayed that what I shared would resonate with someone who could take something from it.
The night before, I was taking a little quiet time with God, trying to keep myself focused on Him so that I didn't leave myself vulnerable to craziness. At 9:00 Saturday night, I still didn't know what I was going to say, and I was starting to wonder a little if I was going to be ready. But during my prayer time, God impressed on my heart Jeremiah 1. No specific verse, just chapter 1. So I flipped there and started reading. When you don't know where to start, I guess the beginning is a good place!
(The first four verses tell about the backdrop of the time and place where Jeremiah was when these things took place.)
(Jeremiah 1: 5 - 9) Before I formed you in the womb I knew [and] approved of you [as My chosen instrument], and before you were born I separated and set you apart, consecrating you; [and] I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.
Then said I, Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am only a youth.
But the Lord said to me, Say not, I am only a youth; for you shall go to all to whom I shall send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Be not afraid of them [their faces], for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord.
Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.
How cool was that - what total reassurance to me that God, at the right time, would give me the words to speak, and would give me the grace to speak them. It's stuff like this that just gets me - I never could have picked out of all the Bible a passage of scripture to say exactly this to me, to speak to me about the one thing I was praying about at the time. I'm so completely unfamiliar with the Old Testament, there's just no way I could have made this up on my own. It's stuff like this that reminds me time and time again of how real God really is, and how present He is, and how interested He is in what's happening in my life. How can I help but to stand in total awe of Him?
Anyway, I'm happy to report that all went well. I felt comfortable, and words came to mind and came out fairly effortlessly. (I think once I stumbled over a word maybe?) It was a very cool experience, and I was happy to be a part of it.
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