There is power in someone telling their story.
When someone tells their story in a worship service, their testimony can be very inspiring. You’re hearing what the Lord has done for them. It’s personal. It’s real. It’s powerful.
In many ways, reading the Bible is like reading a testimony. We’re reading the story of a real person who really experienced it. It was personal for them. It was powerful.
At the beginning of Genesis 24, Abraham requested his loyal servant to find a wife for Isaac. The servant followed the commands he was given and headed to Abraham’s homeland. After discovering Rebekah, the servant travels to Rebekah’s home, where the final arrangements are made. She says goodbye to her family and agrees to go with Abraham’s servant. We continue today in Genesis 24:62-67.
62 Now Isaac had come from Beer Lahai Roi, for he was living in the Negev. 63 He went out to the field one evening to meditate, and as he looked up, he saw camels approaching. 64 Rebekah also looked up and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel 65 and asked the servant, “Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?”
Genesis 24:62-67, New International Version
“He is my master,” the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered herself.
66 Then the servant told Isaac all he had done. 67 Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.
Her family blesses Rebekah to go to Abraham’s son and join his household. The Lord demonstrates incredible attention to even the most mundane of details. The covenant to Abraham was not just to give him a son (Isaac), but to give him a legacy. Pragmatically, this means Isaac needs a wife to have children.
We’ve seen how the Lord has guided this process thus far. Now, we are seeing the completion of this phase. The story of the promise shifts from Abraham to Isaac, as he is now in focus.
Isaac and Rebekah “see” each other without knowing who the other one is. As readers, we know who they are. The Lord allows us to read along as they discover the Lord’s plan.
As Isaac takes Rebekah as his wife, he is comforted in the ongoing blessing of the Lord. Rebekah has now taken Sarah’s place in the family line of Abraham. She will carry the blessing of the Lord to Abraham and his family.
And in these rather normal details of the story, we’re invited to experience their testimony. Abraham cared for Isaac and wanted to find him a wife. Isaac was still mourning his mother’s death. The servant was faithful to Abraham and went away in obedience to find a wife for Isaac. Rebekah had the faith and courage to pick up and go back immediately.
And now, Isaac and Rebekah are married. They have a new life. And it’s all because of the Lord.
This is their testimony. This was real. This was powerful.
This reminds us that we are living a testimony as well. We experience our testimony every day—even in the normal flow of life. The Lord is working. The Lord is moving. And we exist to give Him praise for it.
This is my testimony. What’s yours?
Life Meets Theology 