The power of story
By Charles Christian
Some people are intimidated by reading the Bible. They are afraid it will be filled with lists of laws and prohibitions or Shakespeare-like declarations in words too difficult to understand.
The good news is that the Bible most often conveys its message through the use of stories. While there are lists, laws and genealogies, the vast majority of the Bible is narrative. It’s as if God wishes to convey key life messages and the desire for a relationship with human beings by allowing biblical writers to share real-life stories of human beings.
More good news: Nearly all of these human beings have some serious, and relatable, flaws. Even if you haven’t read the Bible in a long time, chances are the Bible characters with whom you are familiar have aspects of their story that are difficult, if not downright embarrassing.
Yet these men and women, despite their serious flaws and times of drifting, find redemption and grace. They become unlikely heroes of the faith, even though they are flawed people who are surrounded by other flawed people.
God likes to tell stories. God also likes it when flawed people like us choose to trust God, even when times are tough, and even when we do not quite live up to the standards we wish to.
For instance, when the Bible wants to teach us faith in the middle of seemingly hopeless times, the text doesn’t simply list “10 effective ways to stay faithful in hopeless times.” Instead, the Bible says, “Let me tell you about this guy named Abraham,” or, “Let me tell you the story of a brave woman named Ruth.”
The people in these stories are not comic book superheroes whose great innate powers deliver them and others from all kinds of problems. Instead, these are people who come to a point of recognizing the faithfulness and strength of God and then rely upon Him to lead them through.
The best news of all is that God wants to continue to write His story in us, with us and through us. We can become part of God’s story of redemption, mercy and grace. It begins with trust. After that, the story gets much more exciting.
