The Power of a Testimony
2 Corinthians 4:16 – 18 (ESV) – “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”
Psalm 34:8 (NLT) – “Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!“
Psychologists have come up with scales of how to measure stress and calculate risks of illness and how to do all the right things to be safe and healthy. But I don’t want to enumerate the troubles. As the old song says, nobody knows the troubles I’ve seen, nobody knows but Jesus. Jesus knows. Glory, hallelujah! Jesus told us in John 16:33 (NLT) – “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” I do instead want to encourage you to do what the Psalmist tells us in Psalm 62:5 – 8 (NIV) – “Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.”
Psalm 30:5 (NLT) – “Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.” No matter what we’re going through, Jesus knows. And joy will come. But in the meantime, we trust God and pour our hearts out to Him and continue to do small things with great love.
Even, maybe especially, at broken times, in broken places, with broken relationships, sow seeds of love everywhere you go, in every circumstance, situation, relationship. As Nancy encouraged us in a recent prayer newsletter, “We are to practice sowing seeds and watering seeds, continuing to encourage and to pray for one another, with full faith that the Lord will grow a harvest from the seeds we are planting and watering in the kingdom.” We can trust God to bring a fruitful harvest. He is faithful!
And as Paul encouraged us in this month’s prayer newsletter, “Let’s reach out and love many people (adults and children) during Lilburn Daze, that we will give them a refreshing drink of water, that we will pray for them, and that Jesus will refresh them.” And that’s exactly what God did through this small but wonderful band of believers yesterday. Raise your hand if you helped out at our booth yesterday – look around – 24 of you served, which is more than half the church! Y’all are the servingest, everybody can play church I’ve ever experienced! Thank you!
First, can I give a huge shout out to Margy, Theresa, Theresa’s mom Janet, Barbara, and anyone else who contributed the beautiful prayer squares. They turned out to be the best way to open conversations with people, along with Zac’s coffee and Paul’s & Jim’s refreshing bottles of water. A special shout out, also, to Beth, Jim, Mark, and Paul for all the hours of set up and tear down of our booth. And thank you for all the prayers before and during this event – God heard and did more than we could possibly have imagined! Lives were changed.
I want to tell you a few God stories from yesterday, sightings of the Holy Spirit at work among us.
We prayed with many police officers throughout the day. One particularly memorable interaction was with a young Lilburn Police officer who was recently married, buying house, hoping to have children soon. Let’s continue to pray for him, that God would bless him and his wife.
I was thrilled to see friends whom we hadn’t seen for many years. One couple is again connected in the body of Christ after many years of struggling to see God as loving. Another couple has stayed away from church for many years now, but they were visibly touched by loving invitations from several of us along with reassurances that we are all broken and wounded and just trying to be real with one another. Church should be a safe place, and as imperfect as we all are, we try to nurture that kind of environment here. Come as you are, you’ll be loved. Another young friend whom I’ve known since her parents announced her due date introduced me to her husband and I was delighted to discover that they are seeking God and trusting Jesus with all of their hearts. Pray for all those with whom we’ve all walked in the past but have walked away from the church to start meeting together again with other believers and live the full and abundant thriving life in Christ in true community, as God intended.We were encouraged to see 3 families who live a stone’s throw from our house. One of the families are not yet believers, as far as we know, but we threw our arms around each other when we saw each other in the crowd. Pray that they will receive the Good News of Jesus with that kind of joy.
We prayed with two precious young people, aged 18 and 17, who were staffing a neighboring booth, a health related business. The 18 year old young man in particular said that when we prayed he felt God’s power and knows that he needs to be back in church after having left since childhood.
Many invitations were extended. Many prayers were lifted up. Lord, we thank you for these opportunities to share your love and your word and cups of cool water and prayer squares and invitations and prayers. We trust you with the outcome. Be glorified, we pray, in the precious name of Jesus Christ!
