And Can It Be? (#49 of 365+)

The title of today’s devotional is the name of a hymn that seemed especially striking to Joni the morning she accepted Christ. The third verse goes: “Long my imprisoned soul lay fast/Bound in sin
and nature’s light/Thine eye diffused a quick’ning ray/I woke—the dungeon flamed with light!/My chains fell off, my heart was free/I rose, went forth, and followed Thee. She asks, “Can you recall that moment when you understood the good news for the first time? Can you remember how it felt?”

The psalmist wrote, “He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand” (Psalm 40:1-2).

I was recently asked to write my salvation testimonial in 250 words or less. Here is what I wrote:

“I turned fourteen in the summer of 1985. I was home on one particularly bad day when the doorbell rang. The Lord's timing couldn't have been better. It was an elderly neighbor who had seen me around the neighborhood looking rather bored. He told me about some upcoming youth events at his church. I thought they sounded interesting so I took a friend with me. Those kids turned out to be the most "interesting" group I had ever met and we ended up spending the rest of the summer with them. One of the youth members in that church was very passionate about his faith. His name was David and he had just barely gotten his drivers license. He started teaching Bible studies at different youth member's homes and he was always willing to give me a ride and talk about stuff. He seemed to have a direct line to God. At one particular Bible study in 1986 David kept reading verse after verse about God's love for us, including: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). I got all choked up and started to cry. My friend knew what to do. He led me in the sinner's prayer and for the first time in my life I understood and believed in what Jesus Christ did for me—and I crossed over from death into eternal life!”

Lord, thank you for your incredible love, grace, and mercy. I will praise you forever and ever! May I remember how I thought and felt before I accepted you into my life—and may I share my simple testimony with others who haven’t met you yet. Amen.