Have you ever sat down and written out your testimony?
You have a story of how you encountered the grace of God, were transformed by Jesus’ death on the cross, and became a new creation because of the resurrection of Jesus. One of the most encouraging things for my faith is to listen to other people share about their life before Jesus, how they encountered Jesus, and how they’ve been transformed by Jesus.
Their stories provoke me to reflect on my own testimony. As I look back on my past, I see how much I’ve changed because of God’s faithful and consistent work in my life.
Charity Gayle has been down a similar mental road herself. She grew up in an environment where her family sang hymns with rich lyrics like “Nothing But the Blood of Jesus.” In a recent essay, she wrote, “It’s songs like those about the Blood that shaped who I am and my relationship with the Lord today. Songs full of truth and scripture and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Those hymns echo the words of Colossians 1:19-20. “For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.”
Gayle hasn’t merely reflected on the songs of her childhood. She recently offered her own modern hymn to the world, entitled “Thank You Jesus For The Blood.”
RELATED CONTENT: Charity Gayle Graces Us With Modern Hymn, ‘Thank You Jesus for the Blood’
The song begins echoing the words of “Amazing Grace” by describing in honest language who we are before we meet Jesus’ grace.
“I was a wretch
I remember who I was
I was lost, I was blind
I was running out of time”
But Gayle doesn’t stop in meditating on her life before Christ. She dives deeply into what Jesus did for each of us on the cross, singing with gratitude and wonder.
“Thank you Jesus for the blood applied
Thank you Jesus, it has washed me white
Thank you Jesus, You have saved my life
Brought me from the darkness into glorious light”
The chorus echoes the words of Jesus’ beloved disciple, John, from his first epistle. “But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.”
In her essay, Gayle shared about why she sings with such gratitude and wonder. “The more life I live, the more I’m thankful for that precious blood of the Lamb…I’ve messed up and made plenty of mistakes, but I am so thankful and grateful that Jesus bled, died and rose again so that we may have eternal life with Him, the Holy God, righteous and blameless even though we aren’t perfect.”
The further each of us gets from the moment when we first believed, the greater the danger is in losing our sense of wonder and awe. As Dallas Willard once wrote, “Familiarity breeds unfamiliarity, and unfamiliarity breeds contempt." In the face of such temptation, we need encouragement from a community of believers to remind us of what is all too often forgotten. “Thank You Jesus for the Blood” offers us this kind of encouragement and opportunity.
In multiple settings, Gayle has shared how the songwriting experience for this song was a multi-generational experience. She and her collaborators were on a songwriting retreat as “Thank You Jesus for the Blood” came together. On the retreat, she’d invited two older relatives to participate by preparing meals to keep the team fed and focused. All of those present, spanning several generations, sang this new hymn with tear-filled eyes. Later, Gayle noted, “Unity in worship is the most beautiful thing, and we can all relate to being sinners saved by grace.”
Gayle’s spontaneous multi-generational community of worshipers reflected the picture described by John in Revelation 12, where a loud voice shouted across the heavens. “And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens! And you who live in the heavens, rejoice!"
So, let’s go back to the question which started this devotional. When’s the last time you considered your testimony? Have you lost your sense of awe and wonder at the work of Jesus in your life?
If it’s been a long time since you revisited your own testimony or if you’re struggling with your sense of passion for the power of God in your life, then I encourage you to take five minutes today and give your complete attention to the lyrics of “Thank You Jesus for the Blood.” Charity Gayle has written a beautiful modern hymn for the church and her lyrics rehearse the story we all share.
I pray that this song reminds you how the Blood of the Lamb and the word of your testimony can defeat any adversity in your life today!
Scott Savage is a pastor and a writer with the best last name in the world. Scott’s writing helps you laugh, challenges you to think, and invites you to grow. He leads Cornerstone Church in Prescott, Arizona, and watches lots of football with his wife and three kids. You can learn more about Scott’s new free resource, The Gratitude Muscle Challenge, at scottsavagelive.com
