"Whoa!"

What is the power of testimony? Friday brought another round of Open Sharing to our little seminary class at Spanish Fork Jr High. The Spirit was strong of testimony, but also of class unity as the semester is nearing its completion. One student shared on Christ and His suffering, and how it really was for each of us. My mind was turned to a scripture in the 45th section of the Doctrine and Covenants. I marked it and thought of how I could use it in the lesson that day in Joshua. I was excited for it, as I knew the Spirit had led me there. I stood up to end open sharing and begin the lesson, but as I did a young woman in the front row with dark brown hair stood up. She started out sharing about hard times that her family has had and how she had been having a really hard time. She then talked of how she, or anyone in her family, had never talked about the death of her cousin. She said that since his death she hadn't really felt that the Church was true. Then the other night she finally talked to her mom about it and her mom said, "Promise me, that you will pray about the Church." Well, she did. She then explained, "I woke up the next morning and was just filled with the Spirit. And I know. I know that the Church is true."

I am certainly glad that I didn't stand up quicker or before she did. I'm also glad that she had the courage to share, because after that, a young man got up and all he could say about how he felt was "Whoa!"

We didn't have a ton of time for the lesson, but we talked about the power of testimony from the example of Rahab from Joshua 2. She had heard of the children of Israel and said to two Israelite spies who had come in to Jericho to scout it out, "I know that the Lord hath given you the land...the Lord your God, he is the God in heaven above, and in earth beneath."

Because of this testimony--what she knew--she took in the spies and protected them. Because of that the spies told her to put a red thread in her window so that her and her family would not be destroyed. When Joshua and the children of Israel come and, according to the Lord's direction, cause the walls of Jericho to fall and "utterly destroy all that was in the city", we learn more about Rahab. Joshua 6:25 reads, "And Joshua saved Rahab..."

Do our testimonies have the power to save us? Even if they are small and simple, can they bring out a result as was seen with Rahab?

The verses from Doctrine & Covenants 45 read,

"Listen to him who is the advocate with the Father, who is pleading your cause before him--Saying: Father, behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, whom thou wast well pleased; behold the blood of thy Son which was shed, the blood of him whom thou gavest that thyself might be glorified;

Wherefore, Father, spare these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life...and even unto them that believed on my name gave I power to obtain eternal life." (verses 3-5, 8; empahsis added)

Class was ending and I asked if anyone had learned anything in class today. One student raised her hand and said, "I was reading my scriptures last night and kept seeing the phrase 'Believe in Christ' and was wondering what it meant. Now I know what it means."

I know that our testimonies are powerful, that they can help us overcome whatever we may encounter, and I testify that if we do according to what we know and use our testimonies that they will have the power to save us. Again I ask, what is the power of testimony?