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Did you ever wonder why Jesus would perform miracles and then tell people not to share their testimony with others? Why would He want those who experienced God's great grace to keep quiet about it? How many of us would obey if told to say nothing about a great encounter with Him?
Let us consider a few instances of this. In Mark 7, a group brought a man who was deaf and dumb. Jesus said, "Ephphatha!" and he was healed. Then, Jesus commanded those present not to tell anyone (Mark 7:36). He even told Jairus and his wife not to reveal what He did for their daughter (Luke 8:56). He did the same with a group of blind men in Matthew 9, healing their sight only to tell them, "See that no one knows about this" (Matthew 9:30).
Most couldn't keep quiet. Matthew 9:31 - But when they had departed, they spread the news about Him in all that country (NKJV). And in Mark 7:36 - Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. And in Mark 1:45, when He healed a leper, we learned a consequence of this reality - When the man left, he began to talk freely. He spread his story so widely that Jesus could no longer enter any city openly. Instead, he stayed in places where he could be alone. But people still kept coming to him from everywhere (GWT). Jesus sought anonymity, but once the people of any town found out what He'd done, all privacy was gone.
Now, how does any of this apply to modern Christians? Are we not called to testify to what God has done in our lives? Has the Lord not instructed us to be witnesses who speak of His power? Are we not to make Him known by sharing our experience so others can taste and see that our God is good? The answer to each of these questions is a resounding 'yes'. However, we can learn from Jesus' instruction that certain people should not share what He's done for them.
When believers are in tune with the Holy Spirit, they will know when to share their testimony. Sometimes, God may want His children to wait before they tell everyone what He's done in their lives. Part of the miracle may still be 'cooking' and, once done, will complete the entire 'meal'. In such cases, the focus should be on the need to remain in God's plan and timing. Jesus wanted to keep Himself and others within God's schedule. For instance, even His disciples were told not to share certain things until after He died (Matthew 17:9).
Alas, how many of us can dial down our excitement when God answers our prayers? It requires great discipline. We must realize that in some cases, the time has not yet come to reveal the mysteries we've seen or experienced.
However, we must allow the Lord to develop such discipline in us. And we must obey when told to hold off on revealing certain godly encounters. Deuteronomy 29:29 - The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law. We cannot forget this scripture and the deep wisdom it contains. Many things God reveals to His children are not for public consumption. In Matthew 7:6, Jesus warned believers not to cast their pearls to pigs, indicating that the precious things of the Lord are not for everybody. This is partly why He spoke in parables to certain people (Mark 4:34).
We may be called to delay in sharing our encounters because of the 'birds of prey' which aim to blemish the offerings given by God's people to Him (Genesis 15:11). Simply put, satan aims to steal, kill and destroy the testimony being offered as a sacrifice of praise to the Lord. This could be in the form of naysayers who dismiss and question what a believer experienced. As a result, the Spirit of the Lord may discourage sharing testimony with a particular person or group. Or, the Lord may encourage a believer to leave out certain details or share in a way that protects their privacy or that of someone else. A believer needs only to cooperate with the Holy Spirit.
There are many reasons why the Lord may discourage someone from immediately sharing their encounter with Him. Ultimately, it is not for us humans to make that determination. God must guide. Our default should be to praise Him without reservation, remembering that we were created to honor and worship Him. He also called us to attest to His character by sharing what He's done and taught us. Nevertheless, if the Lord wants us to slow down on sharing what He's done, we should patiently wait until we receive His release to do otherwise. May we allow the Spirit of the Lord to help us navigate such situations with the Lord's discretion and discernment, IJN, Amen.
See you at Noon EST for fellowship!
