Your Testimony Counts

John 9:6-7

…He spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man's eyes with the mud and said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing. 

 Everyday God does miracles and wonders in people’s lives in unique ways. For this man, who was blind since birth, his sight was restored as explained in the scripture above. The invisible God we serve manifests through the visible miracles that He performs. However, these miracles cannot make a big difference in other people’s lives without testimonies; there’s immense power in talking about what the Lord has done.

 The Bible tells us, in verse 9, that after this miracle had happened, “Some said, "It is he." Others said, "No, but he is like him." He kept saying, "I am the man." Everyone had their take on what happened but the most important voice was that of the man that had received the miracle. Nothing will ever make more sense out of the wondrous works that God has done in your life than the word of your testimony.

 Then the Pharisees, who would prefer this man to stay blind than for Jesus to be glorified, tried to convince the people that Jesus was just an evil man doing miracles by the power of the devil! Thank God, they eventually sought to hear from the beneficiary of the miracle… (John 9:17)- So they said again to the blind man, "What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?" He said, "He is a prophet." The world still needs to know your version of Him. The man’s word caused contention in their midst because he had a solid testimony about Jesus. Then they sought the parent’s perspective on the matter, and the Bible narrates in John 9:20-21, “His parents answered, "We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself." We get to understand, further on, that the parents answered so because they were afraid of the Pharisees, but they also knew there was no greater testimony than that of their son.

 As they pushed the man around, he spoke out the most prominent words in the entire story… John 9:25 – “He answered, "Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see." Remember this man had not seen Jesus face-to-face by this time; the last time he encountered Jesus, he was still blind. In other words, he was saying, “I have never seen the man, I don’t know how he looks like or where he stays, may be you are right he is not as holy as I think… but one thing I’m sure of is the transformation he caused in my life”.

 We may not have seen Jesus with our own eyes, but the change He has caused in our lives cannot be ignored; We may not have gone to heaven to confirm that He is seated on that throne, but we can boldly declare He is alive because of His manifest presence in our lives. We may not know much of the ‘how’, ‘where’, ‘when’ and ‘what’ but because of the miracles and wonders he has done in our lives, we can confidently talk about ‘who’ deserves the honor and the glory.

 Testify of what the Lord has done in your life; be a witness. You don’t have to talk about what you don’t know; all you need to narrate is Jesus got you out of something or how He shielded you from it. Talk about the Jesus that has worked for you, and nothing from hell shall render that testimony powerless. As you do so, I pray that God will do a miracle in your life that will cause people to ask, “Is he/she the one or not?” and may God create the platform for you to stand and say, “I am the one”. Your testimony counts. 

Led by the Hand

Acts 9:8

“Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.”

Acts 9 starts by explaining that Saul was on his way to Damascus, breathing out threats to the Church and with all authority to persecute the followers of Jesus Christ in all the Synagogues. However, on his way, Jesus blocked him off and the great conversion took place as Saul eventually bowed down to the King of kings.

One significant thing though, is that Saul lost his sight in the process and he had to be led by the hand to Damascus. Like Saul, there are times when we are pursuing our course with the intention of fulfilling our motives and then we lose sight. Loss of sight or vision may not necessarily mean an attack from the enemy, but at times God can let it happen so that His motives take priority position over ours, or so that our lack of sight increases our dependence on Him.

Saul allowed to be led by the hand, a level he would never fall to if he was all able by himself. When you lose sight of where you are going, it does not mean that you cannot move anymore. Where we can’t move by sight, we can progress by faith, and where we can’t reach alone, someone can take us by the hand. Saul had to have faith in the people that were taking him, believing that they are not leading him backwards or to a place of danger.

There are people who have reached their destinations because other people have lent them a hand for direction and guidance, but how much more can one prosper if it is God Himself holding their hand. He says to His anointed, Cyrus, in Isaiah 45, “The Lord says to the man of his selection, to Cyrus, whom I have taken by the right hand, putting down nations before him, and taking away the arms of kings; making the doors open before him, so that the ways into the towns may not be shut; I will go before you, and make the rough places level: the doors of brass will be broken, and the iron rods cut in two: And I will give you the stores of the dark, and the wealth of secret places, so that you may be certain that I am the Lord, who gave you your name, even the God of Israel.” When God takes us by the hand, He does not lead us to failure or destruction, but to glory and victory. 

The Bible also tells us that “although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing”. There are many people that seem like they have a clear vision of where they are going but when they no longer have sight of anything. It is possible to seem to be focused when you are not. In that instance, all you need is to tell God, “Lead me by the hand”.

Saul’s original destination was Damascus, and when Jesus interrupted his journey, He still left him to reach Damascus, but with a changed heart and changed motives. When God seems to ruin our plans, it is not to harm us, rather it is for our good; He leads you by the hand to where you wanted to go but with a better objective.

Depend on your faith more than your sight; depend on God for direction; let Him lead you by the hand. May He lead you by the hand and May He bring forth people that will hold your hand to help you reach your destiny.