I proclaim your saving acts in the great assembly. (Ps. 40:9)
I’m a wimp. There. I said it. I’ve been known to say yes when I should have said no, to stay silent when words were necessary, and to give parking spaces to strangers when my husband specifically asked me to save that spot for him. I’m not good at standing my ground.
The worst part is that this lack of bravery has leaked into my life with God. Far too often I have let other concerns outweigh my confidence in his goodness. My heart wants to speak, but I’m paralyzed by fears: What will people think of me? Will I lose friends or family? Will I be tagged forever as one of “those” Christians?
But the world needs us to tell our stories of redemption, of his “saving acts.” Silence only keeps us from participating in his glory. Like in the story of Moses, God will find someone else when we start giving reasons why we should stay silent (see Ex. 4).
Instead, let us take a lesson from the psalmist David. Let us proclaim the goodness of God. We don’t need to be pushy or brash. We don’t need to beat people up with our Bibles. Instead, with boldness, we can tell the stories of what God has done in us. Courage is not the absence of fear, but saying yes to God when our fear says no.
Share your story and tell the world about God’s goodness to you.
Sarah E. Westfall writes and speaks about seeing God in the beautiful, broken, and in-between places in life. She resides in Indiana with her husband, Ben, and their four boys.
© 2020 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.
Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
