I’ll never forget the time a flying roach injured my mom’s back to the point she couldn’t walk for days, and then God miraculously healed her.
I won’t soon forget the time that my wife laid in a hospital bed, four months pregnant with our first child, Max. The doctor told me that an infection in her kidneys went septic and that they did not know if she would make it through the night. And then God healed her (and preserved my son’s life).
I still remember the feeling of watching our bank account go down to zero – completely zero – eleven months in a row when we moved from Orlando, FL to Charlotte, NC to start Center City Church. I will never forget the way that God faithfully provided every single month… including a friend of ours selling a paining for $750 and giving us all of the proceeds because “God put it on my heart to do this for your family.” Little did she know the fridge was empty and we had three kids in diapers (and no diapers for them) that very day.
I could keep going – and I’m sure there’s a few of you that want to hear more about these stories. And that’s the power of our story. You may not believe in God or miracles, but you can’t take away my story.
I’ve been really challenged recently in my daily devotions by the way that the Israelites used stories to teach others about the faith and faithfulness of God. I read this morning in Exodus 18 about the leader of Israel, Moses, having a conversation with his father-in-law about the miracles he personally experienced as the Lord led them out of Egyptian slavery.
**Exodus 18:12 – Moses went out to welcome his father-in-law. He bowed to him and kissed him. Each asked the other how things had been with him. Then they went into the tent. Moses told his father-in-law the story of all that God had done to Pharaoh and Egypt in helping Israel, all the trouble they had experienced on the journey, and how God had delivered them.
This is just one story of many that shows the Israelites recounting stories of faith, faithfulness, and miracles. My personal favorites are the times that it shows the adults gathering children to share these stories and encourage them to place their faith in this unseen, loving, and powerful God that had been so faithful to their family.
I’m also challenged today to make sure that I’m passing on the stories that we have accumulated over the years to my own children. Mealtime can be a great place to talk as a family, but with one intentional adjustment, it can also be a time for Dara and I to tell our four kids the stories of faith, faithfulness, and miracles that we have seen, personally, throughout the years.
My prayer:
God, help me to remember the stories of the way that you have cared for my family and I. Help me to reflect in awe and wonder on the times that you have come through when we couldn’t see our way out. Give me the creativity and ability to re-tell these stories in a way that will encourage my wife, kids, friends, family, etc. to trust in you more. And help me to not forget your faithfulness when challenges arise in the days to come. Amen.
