Throughout this Race our testimonies of what God has been doing within our very lives has been told countless times all over the world. Everyone has a story and everyone who knows Christ has a testimony. It’s a declaration that shows who God is and a part of His character as He seeks everyone.
For a long time, I felt like my testimony didn’t hold any weight to furthering God’s Kingdom. I didn’t really have much of a rough past, I never “fell from the faith” and had a great comeback story, never on drugs or been to jail, never had anything completely horrible happen to me, or never lived in a closed country where believing was against the law. My testimony was quite simple. I was born and raised in a good home and went to a Christian school where my community helped me come to see Christ in whole new ways. I asked Jesus into my heart at the age of 12 and from then continued to grow my relationship with Him. It hasn’t been easy and at times I questioned where God was, however, even during those times, I saw God’s constant pursual of me.
So, why is my testimony important?
This question rings through my head every time our stories are told, especially when I hear my squadmates’ as they recount how God brought them from what seemed like the deepest depths. I’ve seen listeners cry through their testimonies and be strongly impacted by God’s love, but mine never seemed to have such an affect. Mine was simple, some say cheery and light.
So, why should I tell my testimony?
My testimony shows God as a protector and provider. It shows how He placed certain people in my life to build me stronger and closer to Him. He called me by name and set me apart. If it wasn’t for God, I would most likely be living a completely different life than I am now. My testimony shows how God can speak to us and lead us through different parts of our lives as a firm believer. My testimony shows the power of a good Christ-filled community.
During our time in Turkey, we heard a lot of testimonies, many of the people were from Iran. They had powerful testimonies that show how God pursued them right where they were and even through their very own interests. He even used unbelievers to bring them closer to Him, like what!? After one of the families gave their testimony, they asked us for ours. So, one evening, we invited them to have an American/Mexican meal with us as we would tell our testimonies.
We had the Farsi pastor, her husband and daughter, Immanuel (our translator), and his mother. Through a translator, we went through story after story of how God has pursued us. Many of the testimonies brought people to tears and, again, mine was known as the cheery one.
Near the end, as everyone was getting up to leave, Emmanuel spoke up about wishing he and his mother could experience the Holy Spirit like we have. He was a firm believer and had a beautiful testimony in how he came to know the Truth, but he hadn’t experienced the Holy Spirit and neither had his mother.
That next Friday was our church’s Prayer and Fasting day in which Rebecca was telling them that would be the day they would surely experience the Holy Spirit. However, as she said Holy Spirit, the mother started full out weeping and then fell face down to the floor. We all crowded around her in prayer and, in that very moment, she encountered the Holy Spirit. It was such a beautiful and glorious moment for us all! Emmanuel, in his pure excitement and willingness, wanted to be prayed over and receive the Spirit. Although nothing as intense like his mother had encountered, we were able to tell him the incredible visions we saw for him and the fire and passion he had inside him. It was a beautiful and incredible moment none of us could have expected from this night.
So, did my testimony play a part in all this?
It may have and yet it may not have. I think God would have worked through that moment without my story, however God worked through each of our stories to show how he encountered us all differently yet beautifully. My testimony might not have been important, but that shouldn’t matter when we are telling our story about God. It is He who we proclaim when we tell our stories.
So, will I keep telling my testimony?
The answer to that is yes. I don’t need validation for my testimony, I just want to continue telling people how God has worked through me and how He can do the same in others. My testimony just shows another perspective of who God is in our very lives.
“I will declare your righteousness and your salvation every day, though I do not understand what the outcome will be. Lord God, I will come in the power of your mighty acts, remembering your righteousness – yours alone.”
Psalms 71:15-16
With love and many blessings,
Laura Leigh Armstrong
