As we walk through life it’s easy to think that God is somewhere off in the distance and somewhat foreign, aloof or unreachable. But that’s not the picture that we receive from Scripture at all. As a matter of fact the storyline of the Bible is quite the opposite! God’s story is one of rescue, redemption and restoration for the entire human race. But it gets better than that! The story of the Bible isn’t just a general story of new life for the world. It’s not just God loving the people of Israel. It’s God’s story for you!
At the church I serve, we define the story of the Bible as God’s relentless pursuit of his wayward children. This is pretty much my story to the letter! Not sure about you but I certainly identify with running, fighting and thinking I know better than God at times. In God’s Story Your Story, Max Lucado introduces this reality by means of a powerful, well… story. Lucado is a dynamic writer who can draw you in with metaphor and imagery. He carefully crafts each word and sentence so that you can feel how God is speaking his words directly to you, individually.
Lucado takes us through the journey of making God’s story our story. This is the journey of identifying with the characters and storyline of the Bible. He then moves on to show how God demonstrates his amazing love and power through simple, ordinary situations that end up yielding extraordinary results! He then takes the reader through the realization that we are never alone, never forgotten, never forsaken, never left to fend for ourselves. As the book ends we arrive at the conclusion that when we finally relinquish our narrative for God’s, then our real story begins.
One image that came to mind as Lucado was talking about the way we normally use God as a means to start our faith but not sustain it was the image of a car. It seems that all too often we tend to see God more as a set of jumper cables than a full tank of gas. Now I admit every analogy breaks down at some point but bear with me here. Jumper cables are pretty much a one and done thing. I mean seriously when’s the last time you walked around using your jumper cables when it wasn’t some form of an emergency (and I use that term very loosely)? That’s right you only use it when it’s absolutely necessary and everything else quits working. Lucado’s point is just that! We tend to use God when it’s an emergency and then stuff him back in the trunk until we need him again.
But when God’s story becomes our story, he’s more like a never ending full tank of gas, I know wouldn’t that be nice! Every time you get in yoru car to go somewhere you need the power to fuel the engine. Unlike the jumper cables the fuel is used every step of the journey. This is what making God’s story into your story looks like. It means that you’ve become so absorbed by the truth of his love for you that you begin to think, talk and even act differently.
So the long and short is, I would recommend this book as a quick read or even as a starter for something more like a devotion in your life. It’s a great way to keep his story at the forefront of yours!
Leave a Reply