“He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the LORD.” – Psalm 40:3 (NLT)

Over the years I’ve had the chance to watch a number of people put their trust in the Lord. When I think back to those moments, I’m reminded of how relatively little I did to “convince” anyone to make this choice. This tells me that trusting God isn’t the result of a thought process. It’s a decision made at a much deeper level.

I think back to when I made my own decision for Christ. There were scores of people who helped to get me to that moment, and not a single one of them tried to convince me into the kingdom. That, despite the fact that I’m an intellectual at heart. I love a good debate! For me it was a slowly developing confidence over years that came as a result of simply noticing how, time and time again, people around me who already trusted Jesus seemed to have small victory after small victory. I was moved by the consistency of faith in God. Even in troubled times, those who put their trust in him seemed to get through with less collateral damage. They seemed to still have a song to sing at the end of the day.

I’ve come to realize that having a song of praise to sing to God in the good times, and in the bad, makes me a subtle but effective witness to those around me who are trying to decide whether they, too, will put their trust in the Lord. Psalm 40 says God gives us a new song of praise to sing to God. I believe that’s only partially for our own benefit. The song he gives us to sing is also a testimony that others hear and consider as they make their own choice about whether to trust God or not.

At the end of the day, each person’s decision to trust God or not is personal. Romans 1:20 tells us that the earth testifies to the existence of God and his character. But it’s the testimony of the saints – the songs that we sing to our God – that reveal an experience of him. It’s the testimony of the experience that convinces others to step out and have their own experience with him. So that one day, they can have a similar song to sing about what God did for them when they stepped out in trust.