The ladies from Minden Adult & Teen Challenge were recently at my church to share testimonies and to share ways to partner with them in ministry. The morning was so much more than just sharing testimonies; it was worship and praise to the work of God’s rescue and redemption in their lives. It was celebrating what God has done, is doing, and will do in their lives moving forward. It was inspiring!
Their stories are shocking, heartbreaking, and unimaginable to me. The darkness they lived in, the addictions, and the desperation that drove them to seek a way out. Their journeys are unlike any I have ever known and yet we do have something that connects us; someone who connects us and invites us all into our own rescue story. I don’t have an addiction story to tell, but I have my own rescue story and so do you if you are in Christ.
David writes in Psalm 34:1-3 (NLT) “I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises . I will boast only in the Lord; let all who are helpless take heart. Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness; let us exalt his name together.”
Paul writes in Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV) “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
When we share our rescue stories, it is not to boast in ourselves, but in the Lord who saved us. It is about sharing and celebrating all that God has done, is doing, and will do in our lives as we follow Him, put our trust in Him, and surrender our lives to Him. It takes courage to share, but that courage is met with the Spirit’s power to take our stories out into the world and point others to Christ.
The ladies that came to our church that day reminded me that we can express our love, joy, and thanks to God in different ways. God delights in all the ways we offer worship to Him with sincere and humble hearts. We can express love, joy, and thanks with our voices through our stories, through prayer, through singing, through raised hands and with our bodies in dance. These and more are all found in God’s Word.
So, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness in the ways that connect us to Him and to one another in all of their beautiful expressions. Share with others where God met you and rescued you. Share about the gift of grace you received. Share about the greatness of God in your life. Courage up and tell your rescue story!
