3 Practices For Finding The Courage To Bear Witness

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I’ve seen the Lord do mighty things. Most significantly, his Holy Spirit has borne witness within me of the glory of God and the life, death, and rising again of his Son. He has worked and is continuing to work for my salvation and yours, and will finish each and every work begun. No sentence will be left incomplete in his one great story.

So where can I find the courage to open my lips and tell about it? This is the part of the Christian life that gets me wobbly in the knees and tight in the chest. Peter, (who we know had wobbly knees at the moment of truth, denying the Lord three times) wrote high encouragement to the Lord’s church later on in his life: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9)

We are ransomed from a life of sin and meaninglessness to a life of great significance. (1 Peter 1:18) I am saved so that I can bring greater glory to the one who “called and cried out loud and shattered my deafness. [He] was radiant and resplendent, [he] put to flight my blindness. [He] was fragrant, and I drew in my breath and now pant after [him].” (St. Augustine of Hippo, Confessions)

I can write a good essay, I can speak encouraging words to a small trusted circle. But beyond that, it’s hard for me to even meet eyes with another, let alone move in and enter into real, humble conversation. Let alone speak words that bear witness to them of the marvelous acts of God. 

I know my lived life bears witness to something, and I do believe it is telling loudly of the goodness of God. He has preserved my life, marriage, and family through a wide array of trials and sins. I’m also learning how to lean upon him as I nurture the hearts in my home, gently and often wrapping our daily movements in the words that need to be told.

But even that can be easily shrugged away, or peppered with distractions, or turned into sweaty work as I discover opposition. So whether I’m at home or stepping beyond it, I’m darting my eyes around, hoping for a sight of courage to steady me.
Here are a few things that bolster my confidence in proclaiming the praises of the Lord:

Run To Scripture

The pages of the Bible are so full of clear hope. This is the place I must begin if these are the words that I want to pour out of my mouth, ready at first nudge. I need to be familiar with the excellencies that I’m called to proclaim.

Reading Scripture is necessary, but so is the repeated coming back to it—intentionally choosing to dwell on that which is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, morally excellent, and praiseworthy. (Philippians 4:8)

We also do this by sitting under Scripture-based preaching and teaching, studying and discussing the Bible in the company of others, and by committing sections of it to memory, whether single verses or longer passages.

The word of God is alive and will not fail in its mission, piercing and examining us down to the very separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. (Hebrews 4:12)

Remember It’s Not All Up To You

Another of the most heart-strengthening things I’ve come to learn over the years is this simple truth about proclaiming Christ (which can be so easy to forget): the convincing, the saving, the changing, the guaranteeing—none of this comes from me.

This is tremendously stabilizing to my timid spirit. The more I know of the excellencies of God, the more glad and free I feel to obey and tell, without fear of how my hearers will respond. The more I know of his compassion for those in front of me, and his perfect ability to use his words spoken through his people in a thousand ways that I cannot see, the more glad I am to bear witness today and to trust him to carry through his purposes for each one of us, all the way to the end.

Watch And Imitate How Others Do It

Some parts of Christ’s body are particularly gifted in telling others of his excellencies by their reaching out in love, serving, listening, and welcoming. They challenge me by their unassuming, humble example when I see them engaging the newcomers, lingering with the lonely, drawing near to the struggling.

Every person in the church has their own gifts that are needed and good. I love watching the examples of my brothers and sisters who are stronger than I at this tender, bold telling part (that we are all called to do), and seeking the Holy Spirit’s strength to gladly use my own gifts in such a free, sacrificial, and selfless manner.

Growing stronger in obedience to this calling should feel like exercise, it shouldn’t feel like the cushioned pew, the hurried departure, and the avoided eye contact. It can be quite a risky step of courage. I’m so grateful for those beside me who are leading me by example.

In short…

This is a high, high honor that we carry as God’s people—to wave his glories high like a banner. It’s the work of calling all people to “taste and see that the Lord is good,” because we have done it and found him completely satisfying. (Psalm 34:8)

He has proven to be far better than any other good thing, and is in fact the source of them all. We cannot get enough of him and cannot wait to watch the next person share in this joy.

I hope we can take bolder steps today, heartened by these reminders and remembering that we’re never alone in this. Even if it feels like we’re only one small voice speaking into the fray, there are unseen multitudes ahead of us, behind us, and right beside us as we follow our King, proclaiming his praises.