Listening to God's Story

One of my favorite writers said that life isn’t a story about us, but that it is being told to us. Trust me, if I had read that when I was in my teens, I wouldn’t have gotten it. But today, that makes so much sense. God is telling all of us this wonderful, magnificent story. It began with his creation of this incredible world we live in. He knew it was good, but who could appreciate it? So he formed man from dust, and woman from man. And I think one reason he did so was to share his story with us. A majestic story as reflected in the stars, mountains and oceans. A tragic story played out as Jesus was tortured. And a story of redemption as Jesus, God’s son, was sacrificed so that we could have eternal life.

This gift of an eternal life (Romans 6:23) is ours today. We’re living it right now. And that’s the unique thing about this story. While it’s not about us, we are part of it. We’re part of it because from the beginning God wanted a relationship with us. So as we turn the pages of God’s story, we often see ourselves. For example, we may feel anxiety as we move on to a new adventure, maybe in college or starting a new job. But Jesus says we shouldn’t “worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.” (Matthew 6:34). We may struggle with various challenges, but the Bible says if we persevere, we'll be blessed. (James 1:12)

As God shares more of this story – His story – we’ll be amazed. He’ll guide us through times of trouble and despair. He’ll celebrate with us in times of joy and success. In these coming months and years, even more of the story will be shared with us. Our eyes will open with wonder as we see more of God’s amazing creation. Our heart will ache as we experience some of the pain God feels.

Enjoy this story he’s invited you into. Wrap your arms around it. Live it, feel it, smell it, taste it, breathe it. Don’t cheat by turning to the last page to see how it all turns out. Experience every single page, every single word.

No one tells a story quite like God.