Tell His Story

 By: Joanne Viola

 

For some time we have been told our stories matter. And they do. They are important.

But lately it has been in my thoughts that our stories are important because they are God’s story.

Our stories reflect the activity and work of God in our lives. It demonstrates how God works in the human heart so that more of Him is seen.

Testimony has been defined as an open declaration or statement. We tend to use it more in terms of evidence in support of a fact in a court of law.

John, in writing the epistles, wanted to make sure people for all time would be sure of what he was writing:

“What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes,
what we have looked at and touched with our hands,
concerning the Word of Life – and the life was manifested,
and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life,
which was with the Father and was manifested to us –
what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also,
so that you too may have fellowship with us;
and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.”
(1 John 1:1-3, NIV)

“And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.”
(1 John 4:14, NIV)

John wanted us to know they were eye witnesses, they saw and heard the events as they occurred.

We need to tell our experiences as well. Those in our lives need to hear the way God’s grace, mercy, and salvation are at work in our world yet today.

“They triumphed over him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”
(Revelation 12:11, NIV)

Our testimonies, our stories, become the means by which we overcome and defeat the enemy of our souls. Satan would love for nothing better than to destroy or mar our testimonies.

He attempts to make our testimonies ineffective because He knows they wield a powerful effect when combined with God’s Word. Our stories can encourage others, infusing them with hope, as they hear of God’s work in our lives.

May our stories tell not of our own achievements
but of God’s power
at work in, and through, our situations.

 

Reflection:
Do you ever feel like your story, your testimony, is not needed? May you realize today God is writing His story to a broken world through each one of our lives, including your own.

 

Image by Dorothe from Pixabay