In days of old, before Snapchat and Facebook, before Instagram and Twitter, before removable type and the creation of mass produced literature and books, there was story telling. It’s the way one generation would tell the next of family heritage and how the world works.
Everyone loves to hear a good story. But let’s be honest, we also have the need to tell our story. Don’t believe me? Have a look on social media. What do you think everyone is doing? They are telling their stories.
I ate this incredible dinner at Ye Old College Inn. If you go, you have to try the Po’ Boy.
I got an Instapot for Christmas, and last night I made dinner in nine minutes! No lie!
Baby Charlotte just took her first steps! Our lives have changed forever. #sheisrunning
We are all just telling our stories. And somehow in doing so, something amazing happens. For some, telling them brings healing. For others, listening and learning how others have walked through similar experiences has given strength and inspiration. We cry together. We laugh together. We pray together. And through it all, we draw closer. We find similarities in each other and we find courage to face another day – all through stories.
There is power in telling your story.
Social Media’s newest trends are videos and live feeds. More than pounding out the words on keyboards, we want to talk and share. We want to tell our tale where others can truly listen in real life – or at least as close to real life as we can get through a computer screen.
Jesus was a story teller, too. He used parables to teach people life lessons. He found it was an effective way of sharing the gospel with examples the people could understand. Christ wanted to make the Word of God become more than words read by a priest in the temple. He wanted it to be real in their lives – to have meaning. He wanted it to affect the way they worked and lived.
Tucked in the pages of Exodus is the story of how Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came to visit him and bring his wife and sons to him. Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt and into the desert. His wife and two sons were back with her family in Midian. Now remember, the Midianites did not worship God. Moses had taken a foreign wife who worshipped other gods. So when Jethro, came to visit Moses in the desert, Moses told his father-in-law how his God miraculously saved them from the Egyptians. He also shared how God had provided food and water for them in the desert.
Here was Jethro’s response:
Jethro was delighted to hear about all the good things the Lord had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians. He said, “Praise be to the Lord, who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians. Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly.” Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and other sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal with Moses’ father-in-law in the presence of God.
Exodus 18:9-12 NIV
Jethro had an encounter with God. He heard Moses share everything the Lord had done for them, and Jethro became a believer in the One True God. The Bible says he confessed God (“Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods.”), and he brought a burnt offering to the Lord.
Jethro’s encounter with God was a direct result of Moses sharing his story about God’s deliverance. God used the recounting of His goodness to draw Jethro to Him.
What amazing things has God done for you? Has God placed someone in your path that might benefit from your story? Never underestimate the power of your story – or the power of your God. Today, share one amazing thing the Lord has done for you and see how He will use it.
