What Is Your Story?
Most know that I love stories. The Scriptures are great. Beyond the amazing truth and guidance that God communicates in His Word and understanding that the Bible is Holy Spirit-inspired, there is one thing that I always enjoy: the stories that God has chosen to tell and share. It is great that the Bible is filled with stories. I encourage people to read these stories. Too often, folks get hung up on the fact that Bible stories often have people whose names are hard to pronounce. Truth be told, many of these names are tongue-twisters, but that doesn't change the amazing Bible stories. Dig for the treasure hidden in each story. Remember that God shared each story for a reason. Each of these stories involves a real person (often multiple people). Many of the Bible characters aren’t exactly what you’d call a “Who’s Who in Nobility and Virtue.” In fact, some of their actions and attitudes might make you think of the Saturday-night crowd in the local jail. Yet as strange as it may seem, it is the humanity revealed in these stories that I find refreshing and hopeful. As we see God use real people in the Bible, it allows us to believe that God can use us and be pleased with us.
We can start with Abraham. While praised throughout the Bible for his faith, Abraham wasn’t without his weaknesses. He had a fibbing tongue that he had a hard time keeping in check. For example, one time in order to save his neck, he let the word out that Sarah wasn’t his wife but his sister. While Sarah was his half-sister, Abe was twisting the truth. Twice, Abraham traded the truth about Sarah for security. Such weakness doesn’t show much trust in God’s promises, yet God used Abraham. God began a great nation (the Israelites) through him.
Another household name was Moses. Moses was one of the great prophets and leaders in Old Testament history. But until he was 80 years old, he looked like he wouldn’t amount to much more than a once-upon-a-time prince turned outlaw and fugitive. Who would use a wanted murderer to lead a nation out of bondage? Only God would have such audacity. Even then, the story of Moses saw God call Moses when he exuded the pungent smell of livestock (Moses was a sheepherder).
What can you say about the story of a fellow whose lust led him to have an affair with the wife of one of his most loyal friends? Yes, this was one of King David’s darkest hours. Perhaps David’s darkest deed was when he had his friend killed so that the affair would not be discovered. David’s story, while filled with mistakes, described David as a man with a repentant heart. David truly loved God and repeatedly threw himself before God’s amazing grace and mercy.
Then comes the story of Jonah. He was called to be God’s messenger to the wicked city of Nineveh. Nineveh was the Capital city of Israel’s most powerful enemy, the Assyrians. Every Israelite, Jonah included, hated the Assyrians. When God gave Jonah the task of preaching to the Assyrians, Jonah had other ideas. He had no desire to go to that heathen city. He hopped on a fast ship out of the country while God was not looking (or at least that’s what Jonah thought). This “getaway voyage” did not go well. God engineered a transfer from first-class seating on the ship to storage in the belly of a giant fish. This story shows that God got Jonah’s attention through dire circumstances. After a change of heart regarding his obedience to God, Jonah was deposited beachside by the S.S. Minnow (sorry—bad pun). After his “never-to-be-forgotten voyage,” Jonah preached God’s message at Nineveh. By the way, there were more lessons for Jonah to learn that are revealed in his story (see the Book of Jonah).
In these stories (and many, many more), we see that God uses all kinds of people to engage and change the world. God is in the “people reclamation” business. We too often fall prey to the lie of Satan, which says that God can only use perfect people. While we are weak and flawed, God is strong and righteous. It is God’s power that allows us to be productive and effective. God doesn’t care what your IQ is; rather, He is interested in your readiness to walk with Him. Our greatest ability (in God’s eyes) is our availability. By the way, God is still in the “story business.” While your story or my story will probably never make the cover of a well-known publication, our story is known by God. He is working in our lives. His great power is available for all who will trust Him. Like the great stories of old, God is always looking for those who will place their lives in His hands. Keep looking up!