Record
Record Your Testimonies
Do you ever talk to yourself? If not, do you think to yourself? Of course you do.
Why not write to yourself?
Writing helps organize thoughts and preserves that which might be forgotten.
When Isaiah prophesied to Hezekiah that he was about to die, the king sought God for a reprieve. He recorded his experience.
A writing of Hezekiah king of Judah after his illness and recovery: (Isaiah 38:9)
He wrote it down for himself and to memorialize God’s deliverance. Also, since we have the record of it in Isaiah, he wrote for those he wanted to bring into his experience. I know it’s sort of long (over 300 words), but please take the time to read it.
I said,
“In the middle of my life I am to enter the gates of Sheol; I am to be deprived of the rest of my years.”
I said,
“I will not see the Lord, The Lord in the land of the living; I will look on man no more among the inhabitants of the world.
“Like a shepherd’s tent my dwelling is pulled up and removed from me; As a weaver I rolled up my life. He cuts me off from the loom; From day until night You make an end of me.
“I composed my soul until morning. Like a lion—so He breaks all my bones, From day until night You make an end of me.
“Like a swallow, like a crane, so I twitter; I moan like a dove; My eyes look wistfully to the heights; O Lord, I am oppressed, be my security.
“What shall I say? For He has spoken to me, and He Himself has done it; I will wander about all my years because of the bitterness of my soul.
“O Lord, by these things men live, And in all these is the life of my spirit; O restore me to health and let me live!
“Lo, for my own welfare I had great bitterness; It is You who has kept my soul from the pit of nothingness, For You have cast all my sins behind Your back.
“For Sheol cannot thank You, Death cannot praise You; Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness. It is the living who give thanks to You, as I do today; A father tells his sons about Your faithfulness.
“The Lord will surely save me; So we will play my songs on stringed instruments All the days of our life at the house of the Lord.”
(Isaiah 38:10–20)
Obviously, he recorded this to help him recall the situation and how he felt. He also wanted to preserve the full impact of this situation for his children. What a line, look at this, again…
It is the living who give thanks to You, as I do today; A father tells his sons about Your faithfulness. (Isaiah 38:19)
Hezekiah’s writing was psalm-like. It is a literary piece of art and a great example of vulnerable, emotional, self-disclosure. What about your life? There may be things you might record pertaining to your own circumstances, outlook, and emotional state, worthy of this type of effort. Craft your record. Compose something worth sharing and preserving.
It is written that heavenly scribes wrote a scroll of remembrance for God.
Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who esteem His name. (Malachi 3:16)
This is similar to the instruction the LORD gave to Moses for Joshua.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this in a book as a memorial and recite it to Joshua…” (Exodus 17:14a)
Write it. Recite it.
There are some things God has done for us, or revealed to us, that need to be brought to mind. It is easy to forget.
Many psalms are autobiographical. They are inspired recollections of crises. These psalms became a template of remembrance in the life of the authors. The psalmists would chant their experiences in the presence of God. Others benefitted, too. We benefit to this day.
This week, refresh the habit of recording your life with God. Concentrate upon that which reveals His love to you.
Last week I wrote, “As you remember, interpret the things God has done for you through the lens of His specific love for you. … (Then look) towards the future through the same lens.” Do the same with what you record.
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Also, David wrote a book about God’s love for the Jewish People called, For the Sake of the Fathers
Check out David’s new worship album, Looking for a City
