Psalm 107:1-3; 116:12-13

Everybody has a story. It is a story of how we came to be where we are, have what we have and do what we do. For the Christian it is all of that plus a story of how the Lord empowered us to be, to have and to do. When we see someone, anyone, we see the sum total of everything they have experienced in their life, but we will never know the intimate details of their story until and unless they tell it. In ages past the saints of old would participate in a testimony service. They would stand and tell the gathered crowd what they Lord had done for them, sometimes prefacing their testimony with their favorite hymn or gospel song, and generally ending by requesting those who knew the word of prayer to pray for them. Now while the testimony service is mostly a relic of the past, and for good reason, its absence means that the story, our story goes untold.

The psalmist writes extolling the goodness of the Lord having brought them out of exile and captivity. The Israelites went into exile as a result of their rebellion against their God. Their exile was long. Their captivity was hard. They were separated from their people and their land, but the Lord delivered them from their trouble. It is not uncommon for the people of God to experience trouble. Trouble is a part of our existence. It is also not uncommon for people to cry out to the Lord when they get into trouble. In fact, it is when experiencing trouble that many seem to suddenly find their faith. But such is not the concern of the psalmist here. His concern is rather focused in what happens after God hears and answers the cry of His people. Many people fail to thank God for what He has done or to share with others, particularly no-believers, what the Lord has done. In fact, many having been rescued from their trouble return to what they have been accustomed to doing and living how they have been living. In short, they forget God.

What shall we render or return to the Lord for all He has done for us? That is the question Psalm 116 asks and that is the question still being asked today. We serve a God who has done marvelous things for us and yet we remain silent. We may have scrapped the testimony service because of the propensity of the one testifying to lie, but how will a non-believing world know about a loving God if we fail to share our story? We need to change our modus operandi. Rather than holding our peace as if maintaining a deep dark secret, we need to share our story. The church of the living God needs to follow the counsel of the psalmist, “Let the redeemed of the Lord, ‘say so!’” What shall we say?

1. We have been rescued from the hand of the enemy (107:2).

2. We have been returned to that which we lost (107:3).

3. We have been redeemed from a life of sin (116:12).

4. We have a God upon whom we can call (116:13).

Out story is the story of deliverance out of darkness into the marvelous light. Our story is the story of healing from debilitating sickness and restoration to wholeness of health. Our story is the story of how the Lord saved us, how He raised us, how He gave us a brand new start. Our story is the story of a faithful God who has been with us through the generations. Our story is the story of a God who has never lied or gone back on His Word. Our story is the story of a God who heard our despairing cry and set himself do something about our trouble. Our story is the story of a God who makes ways out of no way, who puts food on our tables, roofs over our heads, and clothing on our backs. Our story is the story of a God who loves us so much that He sent us, down through forty and two generations, a Savior to redeem us by taking our place on a cross at Calvary.

When I consider the goodness of the Lord and all the marvelous things He has done for me, I believe I’ll testify. When I think about what I could have been and what I might have done had it not been for the Lord on my side, I believe I’ll testify. Remembering that I should have been the one who was crucified, that I should have been the one who hung on the cross in disgrace, that I should have been the one hanging my head and dying, I believe I’ll testify. I’ve got a story to tell. You have a story to tell. If you won’t tell it, let me tell it!

© All Rights Reserved 2014 – Dr. James H. Logan, Jr.