It is encouraging to see the power of prayer working in our lives. On Wednesday evenings in Churches of Christ, Scientist, throughout the world, students of Christian Science have the opportunity to bear witness to the power of prayer through giving testimonies of healing.
If you would like to participate in the Wednesday evening testimony meetings but have felt reluctant to stand up and testify, I can certainly sympathize.
I well remember giving my first testimony. My young daughter had taken a bad spill on a Wednesday afternoon. We were visiting relatives, and when we returned to the house much alarm was voiced over the child's condition. I took her aside to pray and began to acknowledge her perfection as a child of God, made in His image and likeness, entirely spiritual. I refused to acknowledge that any accident could take place in God's kingdom, as all reality is under His divine control. Within a few hours the healing was apparent to all in the house. I was filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude and love for God as Father-Mother. God had answered my prayer so completely.
That evening I made a special effort to attend church. Because of my deep gratitude for the healing, I wanted to relate my daughter's experience during the portion of the meeting set aside for testimonies. As the time approached, however, my heart raced and fear of speaking seemed to overwhelm me. My lack of speaking ability, my fear of speaking, and my fear of forgetting what I wanted to say threatened to keep me silent. (Does this sound familiar?)
I was swiftly able to counter these suggestions, however, when I responded by telling myself firmly: "No, I am going to stand up and express my gratitude even if I only say that I am grateful for Christian Science and sit down. I can do that."
I stood up and said, "I am grateful for Christian Science." But I didn't just sit down again, because at that moment my fear of speaking subsided and I was able to tell about my daughter's healing. It was a wonderful feeling to give a testimony, especially since Mrs. Eddy felt that testifying to healing was important enough to include a By-Law on the subject in the Manual of The Mother Church. See Man., Art. VIII, Sect. 24
Heartfelt gratitude can't be silent. It wells
up within us and overcomes suggestions of fear or
inadequacy. Whatever experience has lifted our
thought to God and brought us closer to Him is
worthy of sharing.
Our testimony does not have to be long or detailed, but it should be sincere and from the heart. Mrs. Eddy, in her article "Heart to Heart," says, "When the heart speaks, however simple the words, its language is always acceptable to those who have hearts." Miscellaneous Writings, p. 262
Heartfelt gratitude can't be silent. It wells up within us and overcomes all suggestions of fear or inadequacy. Why do we desire to rise and speak? What is our motive for doing so? Isn't it to praise God and to share? To express publicly our gratitude for being inspired, protected, supplied, healed? Whatever experience has lifted our thought to God and brought us closer to Him is worthy of sharing with our friends. Yes, our friends. We are among friends on Wednesday evening, and sharing is a way of spiritually loving our friends.
Speaking in public can be a joy when we know we have thoughts to share that will bless and inspire. In fact, how can we not testify when doing so can lighten the burden of our brother?
I sometimes think of the service on Wednesday evening as including a two-part sharing. The Reader shares inspiration with the congregation through readings from the Bible and Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy. Then the members of the congregation are invited to share their inspiration in the form of testimonies. Just as the Reader comes prepared with readings on a specific subject, we in the congregation should come prepared with our prayers and verbal expressions of gratitude.
I recently attended a Wednesday evening meeting where one individual gave a testimony he had jotted down prior to the meeting. This was his way of speaking from the heart.
While we may not go so far as to write down our testimony before we speak, it can be helpful to think about what we would like to share prior to the meeting. We may reflect on what we have to be thankful for. Perhaps our study of Christian Science this week has been the means of routing some discord? Or maybe a Bible verse from the Bible Lesson Found in the Christian Science Quarterly came to thought and brought harmony to a trying situation.
When we come prepared to share, we usually do. The Bible assures us, "The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the Lord." Prov. 16:1
And I've found this passage in Mrs. Eddy's book Miscellaneous Writings to be very encouraging in overcoming my fears of testifying: "Man is God's image and likeness; whatever is possible to God, is possible to man as God's reflection. Through the transparency of Science we learn this, and receive it: learn that man can fulfil the Scriptures in every instance; that if he open his mouth it shall be filled—not by reason of the schools, or learning, but by the natural ability, that reflection already has bestowed on him, to give utterance to Truth." Mis., p. 183
Yes, we can testify and glorify God. It is our duty, our privilege, our joy, to do so. Just as God told Moses, "Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say," Ex. 4:12 so we too, guided by our Father, divine Love, will know what to say "to give utterance to Truth."
