As a child I grew to love the Bible through its stories. When I think back, I recall my Sunday School teachers using paper cutouts of biblical characters to bring them to life. The images of Jesus feeding the multitudes, walking on water and healing the blind transported me from the Lower East side of New York City to the dusty cities of Palestine.
I would envision myself in these stories; one of the kids in the multitude waiting to be fed or on the boat traveling across the Sea of Galilee with Jesus when the unexpected storm struck. Everyone likes a good story; they are easy to remember and convey messages that will speak to us for years to come.
Author and pastor Rick Warren writes, “The Bible is essentially a book of stories! That’s how God has chosen to communicate his Word to human beings.” At times we forget that the Bible can help us overcome our pains, struggles and fears. Through these amazing, but sometimes messy and perplexing stories God still continues to speak to us. Is your story in the Bible?
As an adult, I do not only envision these stories, but search for stories similar to my own. When reading about Moses’ lack of confidence in leading the people out of Egypt, I am reminded of my own personal fears when taking on a challenging mission. Joseph’s story of rejection, forgiveness and rise from obscurity reminds me to have faith in the Lord when everything seems to be against me.
The Samaritan woman who discovers Jesus’ love and the love she has for herself while at the well, affirms that God finds us when we least expect it and always meets our needs. What about Nicodemus’s story? He is a religious leader who learns about the need for a spiritual rebirth…that is our story.
Philip Yancey, author of The Jesus I Never Knew, refers to Jesus’ stories. He wrote, “It is one thing to talk in abstract terms about the infinite, boundless love of God. It is quite another to tell of a man who lays down his life for friends, or of a heartsick father who scans the horizon every night for some sign of wayward son.” I think it is this gift of storytelling with truth and grace that makes the Bible the world’s bestselling and most widely distributed book.
Lord, thank You for the stories of faith that speaks to us, help us to discover our own story and its message.
