The book of Isaiah is full of Mighty God descriptions. The kind that paint a picture of the majesty and grandeur of the God we serve. Isaiah recounts again and again the declarations that God makes regarding himself and his character.
“You are My witnesses,” declares the Lord, “And My servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He. Before me there was no God formed, and there will be none after Me.” Isaiah 43:10 (AMP)
He alone is our God and we are his witnesses.
We can attest to God’s sovereignty and His faithfulness by our testimony, our personal story of what God has saved us from and how He has changed us. If we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we have an incredible story to tell. It is one of love and forgiveness, full of grace and mercy, new life and hope.
Stories can be an incredibly powerful tool. When it comes to new products, one of the most compelling reasons to buy something is a shared story or experience from someone you know in real life. I can know all about a product but usually won’t be persuaded to actually buy it until someone close to me shares a positive experience with it. And then, I’m all in. Often, their excitement will spread and I become a walking billboard for the product, a witness to its greatness.
The shepherds were the first real witnesses to Jesus. In a sense, they became walking billboards for the Savior of the world. Their experience couldn’t be kept to themselves because it was the most joyful news they had ever heard, and it was for everyone. After seeing for themselves, they told everyone they could. As word of mouth grew, people everywhere heard the good news.
Luke 2:15-18 says, “When this great army of angels had returned again to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Come on! Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this wonderful thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” “They ran to the village and found their way to Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. The shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. All who heard the shepherd’s story expressed astonishment.” (TLB)
The shepherds were all in. They heard a story, followed it to the source and then shared with anyone who would listen. For those of us who have heard the good news and traced it back to Him, our job now becomes to share that good news with those around us. Our lives act as a witness to the world that His story is an integral part of our own story.
We have an opportunity every day to be all in, but especially this advent season as we reflect on the birth of baby Jesus. We have a story to tell of how the birth of a baby boy thousands of years ago set into motion a love story that would change our lives forever. This week let’s ask God to use our words to astonish people with his love and let’s live our lives in a way that will bear witness to the mighty God we serve.
A prayer: Father, we acknowledge that You alone are God. There was no one before You, and there will be no one after You. Give us an opportunity this week to share our story with somebody who needs to hear it. We give you full access to our lives and to the stories You are still writing. Give us the words to speak, that we might be witnesses to You, our Mighty God.
