Essential 100—Read:
Exodus 13:17-14:31
“As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, ‘Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt?’” ~Exodus 14:10-11
So you want a testimony, do you? So do I! But are you willing to go through the circumstances that give rise to that testimony? Are you willing to have your back against the wall, to know that unless God comes through you’ll go down in flames, to despair even of life itself? You see, those are the conditions of which great testimonies are made.
Joseph had to spend some time in the pit before God lifted him up to the second highest position in all of Egypt. David had to actually go out onto the battlefield and stand before Goliath before he became a giant-slayer. Daniel had to literally get tossed into a den full of protein-craving lions for the angel of the Lord to come and clamp their canines. Paul had to cruise into the midst of a deadly storm in order to survive an otherwise deadly shipwreck. Jesus had to go through the ordeal of the cross in order to overcome the grave.
I think you get the point. Sadly, however, too many Christians want a testimony without the trial. Sorry, it doesn’t work that way. The children of Israel desperately wanted God to deliver them from their bondage in Egypt, but they complained bitterly when it caused them discomfort. On more than one occasion they whined at Moses and complained about God because they weren’t consulted about the Divine deliverance plan.
Now God graciously put up with their moaning, but he came really close to losing his cool. And even though they were ultimately delivered and ended up with a terrific testimony—in spite of their bellyaching—they were forever tagged with the whiner label.
Here’s the deal: Don’t be that way! If you want a testimony—and I think you do—then allow God to bring it to you in any way he sees fit. Just trust, don’t complain—even when you find yourself in the midst of the not-so-pleasant stuff out of which great testimonies arise. Just know that whatever discomfort, discouragement and pain you experience always pale in comparison to the story you get and the glory God gets.
“Many men owe the grandeur of their lives to their tremendous difficulties.” ~Charles Spurgeon
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