Psalm Devotional
A Personal Testimony
Most Christians at some point have heard or shared a personal testimony. It can be a great encouragement to other believers and a powerful witness to unbelievers, when delivered from the heart and meant to give glory to Christ. At times, however, the personal testimony can become a stylized genre of its own, authenticated by a touch of drama, resembling a competitive exhibition with a bit of spiritual posturing. In spite of this, Psalm 66 reminds us that a God-centered personal testimony that worshipfully presents the work of His sovereign grace, and calls others to faith, is a powerful witness that we can all take into the world.
Psalm 66 begins with a worldwide call to worship and a panoramic view of God’s glory and power in the earth (vv. 1-5). The focus of the psalm then tightens to celebrate the particular and gracious care of God for His people (vv. 6-12). Finally, the psalm zooms in on a single worshiper whose prayers have been answered (vv. 13-20). This progression—from the universal, to the particular, to the individual—reminds us that, in the great sweep of redemptive history, the individual is not just a face in a crowd, and certainly no mere pawn in a game. Among the mighty works of God in the world (v. 5), which include such a great event as the Exodus (v. 6), we find His quiet and gracious work in the life of the individual believer. This is what makes every believer a living illustration of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and every individual testimony a significant act of bearing witness.

