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A Testimony of God’s Sovereignty
Episode #615
9-16-2018
With Martha Kilpatrick and hosted by John Enslow
Not every life story is a straight biography. Sometimes a testimony is more about God’s sovereignty in that life than about the person’s life alone.
John:
Martha and I are today at the beach. The Lord has picked us up, airlifted us out of the mountains, and taken us to the beach. We had lovely people that we walk with solve the urgent need for us to have a break. Martha’s been dealing with some health issues and taking care of her…it’s just been, it’s just been kind of a…
Martha:
“Come aside and be with Me awhile,” said Jesus.
John:
Yeah! Absolutely! “Lay down in green pastures.” We just have really needed it. So the Lord provided for this trip and we’ve taken it. And it’s actually taken some turns that have been very interesting and unusual. One, I’ve, I’ve written a whole bunch during this trip and Martha’s rested. And she’s doing like so much better. It’s not even funny. It’s amazing! So you’ll hear the ocean in the background. We’re sitting on a porch looking from a twenty-first floor balcony and watching all the people and just… I’ve pretty much sat out here the entire time with the breeze and written. And so we wanted to give you some updates.
We just have a whole lot going on right now and we just really covet your prayers because there is a floodgate that’s about to, to pop open and we’re just realizing the need of prayer during this time. And so we really covet your prayers. And we ask you to join us in prayer because it’s seems that the thin veil that is holding the flood gate is just needing to be popped and as Martha has said, we’re really going to be moving in a different direction, a new direction.
Martha:
But John has written a testimony of his life. It’s not the entire story but it’s his childhood up through adulthood and with us, with Shulamite. And when he showed it to me, I wept and wept and wept. And I wanted him to tell you the reason why and I wanted him to read a little excerpt from the manuscript. It’s his story but it’s full of something very, very wonderful and crucial.
John:
Here’s something, and when I read it and I’ve been going through it I’ve never read a testimony that’s like this. Because what I’ve seen it as is a testimony that gives kind of a cross section, a slice into a life. It’s not like a, you know, from beginning to end, the entire thing. It’s a cross section into a life, giving portions of a life. But it’s not just “Oh, this is about me and this is about my story.” What it does is it reveals the centrality of Christ and it also becomes inclusive. It’s not just, it’s not just of what’s God done in my life. It really exalts Christ as Lord, it proclaims Him as Lord, but then it has an inclusive element to it that literally…it includes anybody who’s reading it. It’s an invitation. It’s not even, not even an invitation, I can’t even think of the word. It’s inclusive, it’s inclusive; it includes you into my testimony.
Martha:
Because you show your response to things in your life very clearly that we all have and then you show it resolved. I asked John to tell me… I know what hit me when I read it that made me cry so much. And I wanted to ask John, “What was it that you really wanted to say? What was the overriding theme that you were getting across?” Because it wasn’t really only about John. It was about God.
John:
It was more about God than it was about John. It was a John was included in God’s story kinda deal. And I really saw His sovereignty and what— You filled in the statement, you said, “It’s His sovereignty over circumstance,” which is absolutely amazing.
Martha:
It’s actually a vindication of God in the things that John suffered and the things that were difficult in his life. He’s vindicating God’s use of those things to form his destiny. And so sovereignty is probably my second favorite subject. The love of God is the first. But sovereignty is second because He has so revealed His sovereignty to me and to us. And it’s precious.
I wrote a little bit in Altogether Forgiven using David’s Psalm 139:4-6 NASB. “Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O Lord, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me.” David came to see the marvel of God’s hand upon him and experienced the bliss of that divine control. This is what he said, (Psalm 139:16 HCSB) “Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in Your book and planned before a single one of them began. Your eyes have seen, (in the Amplified version) my unformed substance and in Your book were all written the days that were appointed for me even when there was not yet one of them taking place.”
And the overriding sovereignty of God… The sovereignty of God is difficult for Believers, even Believers, much less the unsaved. We can’t quit looking at life from the tree of good and evil and saying, “This was bad in my life and this was good.” And there has to come a time when God’s sovereignty, the tree of life, swallows up all our experiences and He is vindicated in all that He did. That’s what you’ve come to see, John. And that’s why I wept so, even though I knew the story, I’ve never seen it written in quite this way. But still it was stunning to me and glorious because it elevated God that everything He did is perfect. Not just ok. Not just right. Everything He did in your life was perfect preparation and perfect circumstance. So it took me really to worship Him. And that’s incredible. We’re going to have this out in the eBook. It’s going to the editor soon. And I…
John:
I turned it into the editor two days ago.
Martha:
Did you really? Goody, goody! So we’ll be announcing when it’s out as an eBook and you can get it. While I’m on eBooks I want to say we promised to have the booklet Binding and Loosing ready by now but I couldn’t do it. I just couldn’t, couldn’t finish it. So it will be here soon. It’s in the cooker. Is that what you call it? It will be here but I apologize that I couldn’t deliver. It just reminds me of what the Lord said to me many times, “Don’t say what you will do tomorrow. You do not know what tomorrow will bring.” He holds tomorrow and I always should say, “If the Lord is willing, we will do this or that”—otherwise it’s, it’s evil. So please forgive me for promising what I can’t deliver.
John:
I was very hopeful for it to be done and that’s not, it’s not a problem. I’m asking for the prayer for it to be completed, for Binding and Loosing to be done. It’s such an amazing message and it’s so crucial. And I really want to do a podcast with Jennifer about it because she’s been working so hard on it. But we also have, you know, this whole thing Overcoming Fear (the Soldier without Fear). We have that one. It’s… Literally Jennifer’s working on that one, too. I mean we have literally, there’s probably six to eight right now ready to be worked on, to be brought into a format that we can release them as Kindle and one of them is going to be the, my testimony. And I really, the thing I love about it is, is, and the reason I think it’s one of the best ones I’ve ever read, and that’s kind of audacious for you to say about your own testimony, but it is because it’s really not, even though it is about me, it’s really about Him. And it includes the reader. And I can’t wait for people to read it and say, “Oh, my gosh! This is what he was talking about. It’s inclusive.” It literally, you will leave reading it, you will leave it and you will say, “That me! That’s about me!”
Martha:
The wonderful thing that this manuscript does… You can be born again and be a Believer and functioning in the Lord and we are supposed to be reconciled to God. And this manuscript, this testimony is a statement of a reconciliation to God about everything that John didn’t like in his life. It’s how far reconciliation goes. It’s goes to the ultimate. If we will allow it to, we will see God’s hand in every single moment of our lives. And that’s what’s exciting about it. That’s what you see is different. You vindicate God. You come to the ultimate reconciliation with Him about your own suffering and your own dilemmas. So I’m very enthused about it.
A Testimony of God’s Sovereignty – Episode #615 – Shulamite Podcast
Not every life story is a straight biography. Sometimes a testimony is more about God’s sovereignty in that life than about the person’s life alone. When that happens, a personal testimony reaches out and includes us all in its powerful unfolding!
What a loving heart Father has for you both, that He would provide the rest and refreshing that He knows you both need!
John, so looking forward to His testimony concerning you. This reminded me right away of Psalm 107: “Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy . . . that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness and for His wonderful works to the children of men . . . He guides them to their desired haven . . . He satisfies the longing soul . . . He breaks their chains in pieces . . . He sent His word and healed them . . . He led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city for a dwelling place . . . He blesses them and . . . makes their families like a flock.” May the hearer, as stated in the last verse of this psalm, “understand the lovingkindness of the Lord” from your story.
I thank God that He has made each of you at Shulamite Ministries a praise to His great Name!
What an absolute perfect scripture! Thank you so much for your wonderful encouragement, precious love, and beautiful words. Bless you and love you Pauline! I think you will really like this testimony. I am so excited. Jennifer is working on the editing of it now.
VERY excited to read John’s testimony and it’s illumination of God’s sovereignty. As Martha said, it’s a challenging area for believers, yet so intrinsic to BEING a believer. Psalm 139 focuses on God’s sovereignty, and I’m noting verses 6 and 17: “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it.” “God, how difficult Your thoughts are for me to comprehend; how vast their sum is!” My response is “Amen!” So, again, I’m VERY excited for the illumination that will come by the “living epistle” God has written through John’s life for God’s glory.
Thank you Douglas! I really pray it blesses you greatly. Perfect reference, “living epistle” is exactly what it is. The story of His life seen through me. Love you!