Monday Devotional: March 4, 2024

Bible Reading: Psalm 107:1-3 (NRSVUE)

¹ O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. ² Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, those he redeemed from trouble ³ and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.

“Let the redeemed of the Lord say so…” Those of us who are United Methodist promise to support our local congregations with our “prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness.” To include the word witness in this covenanting phrase has been a good addition. This perfectly reflects our heritage as a body of faith that gives voice to our knowledge and love of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

As a child growing up in a Methodist congregation, I was encouraged to share my faith witness or to give my testimony of what God was doing in the world and in my life. I learned how to do that by listening to others of all ages give their witness. I felt assured that God would use my authentic witness to encourage other people.

Serving as a pastor, I often gave my witness to different congregations where I served. When I was elected to serve as a bishop, I continued to offer my testimony through the arena of the annual conferences to which I was assigned. I remember so many people being surprised to hear a bishop give a testimony. It was a great way to connect at a deeper spiritual level. Giving witness always makes me feel closer to God.

We should never be timid or discouraged to offer our witness. God will take our words and our actions and use them in ways that will extend God’s reign. We can speak about our gratitude for God’s love, our fears, our joys, our hopes for a broken world, and for healed relationships. When we continue to give witness, we find that it isn’t really us speaking—it is God through us.

Prayer

O listening God, keep me attuned to you so that I am always ready to proclaim your mighty deeds. Amen.

By Charlene Kammerer, The Upper Room Disciplines 2015, page 81.