In Ps 66:16, the Psalmist, in praising God, wanted to declare “what he hath done for my soul.” The Psalmist is writing from “down the road” looking back on all the things God had done. He could see the mighty hand of God in his life. God had done some mighty and wonderful things and the Psalmist invited those who fear God to “come and hear.” The Bible is filled with these testimonies.
Look what God did for Joseph. His brothers sold him into slavery and he was taken to Egypt. He worked for Potiphar until he was imprisoned on false charges of seducing Potiphar’s wife. In time, God brought Joseph out of prison and he became the second ruler in the country of Egypt. God used him to save his family from starvation during an extended famine. My, what God did for his soul.
Look what God did for Rahab. She was a harlot in Jericho who hid Jewish spies when the surveilled the city before destroying it. God spared Rahab’s life and the life of her family when Jericho was attacked. Rahab ended up marrying Salmon who was in the line of Christ. My, what God did for her soul.
Look what God did for Naomi. Naomi followed her husband, with their two sons, to Moab during a famine. In Moab, her husband and two sons died, leaving her with two Moabite daughters-in-law. Upon her return to Bethlehem-judah she was destitute. Ruth, her daughter-in-law who returned with her, gleaned in the fields to provide for her. It was there that Ruth met and, eventually, married Boaz, Rahab’s son. Their firstborn son, Obed, is David’s grandfather. My, what God did for her soul.
We could go on for hours retelling the many wonderful things that God has done for people in the Bible and people in here. But we want to turn our attention to you. God wants to do some mighty and wonderful things in your life. He wants you to be able to testify like the Psalmist did, “Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.”
So, here you are today. Years “down the road” will you be able to testify about What He Hath Done? You won’t if you keep running your life the way you have been running it up till now. The longer you run your own life, the less you will have to testify about what he hath done. Many Christians give God the credit for things they have done to make themselves sound spiritual. You’re lying if you give him credit for those things that you did. You have to get out of God’s way and let him do what he wants to do. Anyone can do the things that you’re doing; only God can do the things that he does.
In order to have a testimony about what he hath done, you’re going to have to:
Trust him – you must trust him and let him do what only he can do. You can’t take matters into your own hands, anymore. When the rich ruler came to Jesus asking about eternal life, the Lord told him to walk away from his wealth and follow him. He couldn’t do it. He didn’t trust Jesus and he didn’t trust what he said; he trusted his riches. David Schroeder said, “That thing you’ve been hanging on to isn’t gonna matter to you anymore, once you let go of it.”
I have found that when people reach marrying age, they rarely trust God to provide them a spouse. He that findeth a wife, findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the Lord. See God’s involvement in that. A prudent wife is from the Lord. See God’s involvement in that. You must trust God. David Lohman and Naomi. God did that. See what he hath done.
I have found that young people have a hard time trusting God with their employment decisions. They see God’s will when they see more money or a better opportunity. If you’re doing what God wants you to do, he’s going to pay the bills. You may not have the standard of living that you want, but you will have contentment. And money can’t buy contentment. The people with the most money are called misers. You know why? Because they live in misery.
Obey him – when you start truly trusting God, he is going to give you commands to follow. And some of these commands are going to be tough. They accomplish a two-fold purpose. First, they lead you away from following your own desires to following the Lord’s desires. Second, they test your commitment to follow the Lord.
Up to now, you’ve been calling the shots and expecting God to bless your decisions or at least allow you to do what you want. That has to change. When God shows you what he wants you to do, you must do it, no matter how hard it is. As God leads you in the direction he wants you to go, he will show you things that need to change. You’ve got to change them. And some of those things are not going to be easy. But when you have done what he tells you to do, you are going to be so glad that you did.
It was not easy for Joseph to be a slave and a prisoner. It was not easy for Rahab to convince her family to ride out the attack in her brothel. It was not easy to stay in the house when the walls of Jericho were falling down all around them. It was not easy for Ruth to glean in the fields all day and resist the temptation to follow young men [Ruth 3:10]. It was not easy for Joseph and Mary to fend off public humiliation when Mary conceived. It was not easy for Mary to watch her innocent Son die at the hands of an angry mob and a corrupt government. It won’t be easy for you either. But then, you want to have a testimony of what he hath done in your life, don’t you? Then, you have to obey God.
I have found that men obey their wives more than they obey God, particularly on the tough things. It’s like they love God and fear their wives. You’re supposed to love God and fear God. And you’re supposed to love your wife as Christ loved the church. May I remind you that Jesus Christ is the head of the church. And you are the head of your wife. So, obey God.
Wait on him – you must wait on God; give him all the time he needs to work things out his way. In some respects, your life is like a jigsaw puzzle. When you decide to start following God, your life looks like the pieces of the puzzle all scattered on the table. Maybe even some of the pieces are on the floor. Then God begins to sort the pieces. He puts the border pieces in one pile and the sky in another pile and the grass in another pile, and so forth. Then he begins to assemble the border, then he starts filling in sections of the puzzle. To you, it seems that he is working at a snail’s pace. And you can be as impatient as a little child.
We love to tell the story of how Joseph became the second ruler in Egypt. His testimony is summarized in Ps 105:17-22. Do you know how many years there were between verse 17 and verse 20? 13 years [Gen 37:2; Gen 41:46]. That’s a long time to be a slave and a prisoner. But by the time Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, he could honestly say, “God did this. Look what he hath done.”
A year ago, a young man was bemoaning that he had to call me for counsel. He said that no one was calling him for counsel. I had to remind him that it’s been over thirty years since the Lord turned my life around. You learn a few things worth repeating in thirty plus years. I have had time to see what God hath done. Where Randy and Maureen are today didn’t look like this 20 years ago. What you’re seeing today, God hath done. Where Kim and David are today didn’t look like this 20 years ago. What you’re seeing today, God hath done.
So, give God time. I can assure, God knows what he’s doing. You must wait on him.
Then you can:
Praise him – he’s doing these things in your life as a testimony to his great power. Praise him continually and praise him publicly.
Conclusion: Some of us today can already testify about what he hath done for my soul. And we will assure you that trusting him, obeying him, and waiting on him are essential to giving you that testimony. You cannot do two of these and leave the third undone. You must do all three. Then you will be able to testify about what he hath done for my soul.
What are you lacking today? Is it a lack of trust? Is it a lack of obedience? Is it a lack of patience? Whatever it is, acknowledge it today and get over it.
If you aren’t saved, it is a lack of trust and obedience. If you will trust him and obey him, he will save you today. You don’t have to wait on him to do that. Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation [2 Cor 6:2].