What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits towards me? I will pay my vows to the Lord now in the presence of all His people
[Psalms 116:12,14 NKJV]
It is expedient to understand what personal testimony means and on what occasions they are to be shared with a congregation. A testimony is a account of past events based on Firsthand experience. Testimonies,generally, seal the victory a believer obtains afters triumphing over the works of darkness [Rev. 12:11].
Now, have you ever been edified or blessed by another believer's testimony? It is a common practice in our churches for a particular time to be appropriated to the sharing of testimonies. What impact does this period of time during service have on your life?
Furthermore, an example of personal testimony accompanied by Thanksgiving shared in the Bible is recorded in Psalms 116. It is a very personal psalm with the writer making reference to himself at least 37 times in 19 verses, except in verse 5,15 and 19 where there is not at least one personal pronoun used. The psalmist, an anonymous person, had undergone a difficult situation and had been delivered God. What to learn from this psalmist's experience is that all believers are subject to almost same circumstances.
Again, this Psalm itself is a formal offering of thanks in a form of testimony to be made before the assembly. It is a psalm of both self-edification and public edification. This anonymous Psalmist wishes not only to glorify God in the presence of people but also to bolster his/her love for God as recorded in Verse 1. He/she also emphasizes his/her trust in God by recalling the great deeds of God in his/her life. Perhaps, this is a practice found remarkably effective for prayer times, particularly when our faith is weak or hard to really engage. By recalling what God has done for us in the past, even saying it aloud and describing the events in details [without exaggeration], we foster a fountain of appreciation and praise within us from which prayer flows naturally.
It is my earnest desire that we vow to live a life of praise, thanksgiving and service to God even as He takes us deeper in the knowledge of His dear son, Jesus.
Happy Sunday Children of God. Have a blessed week. But don't forget that at every slightest opportunity, we ought to propagate the gospel of Jesus Christ.