"Story"

When they began a story,

It was once upon a time,

And some were so familiar,

I knew them line by line.

And when the story ended,

They all were just the same,

They lived happily ever after,

Different people, different names.

And I halfway expected,

That script to be my own,

Once upon a time for me,

But as the years have grown,

I realized that fairy tales,

Are great when you’re a kid,

But life is far too challenging,

And when it happened like it did,

I wondered why, then realized,

The other stories that I knew,

That came right from the Bible,

And all of them were true.

Noah and the boat he built,

God’s judgment and the flood,

Moses and the burning bush,

The Nile turning to blood,

The awesome Red Sea crossing,

The Promised land and more,

The falling walls of Jericho,

They knew what faith was for.

Abraham and Isaac,

Joseph and his dreams,

Jonah and that big old fish,

And adventures to extremes.

The shepherd who with rock and sling,

Took down a mighty foe,

And prophets who called down the fire,

And on enemies God’s woe.

The wonder of the Savior,

The miracles He did,

Five loaves and just two fishes,

The lunch from just one kid,

That soon became a happy meal,

Feeding thousands plus,

And all to show that Jesus,

Can feed each one of us.

The gruesome death and suffering,

The empty tomb and grave,

The victory He bought us,

And died so He could save.

And not a one a fairy tale,

But truly in the end,

Happily ever after,

Is promised, too, my friend.

Once upon a time they said,

The seasons of God’s time,

And life with all its struggles,

Can be an uphill climb.

But the story is not over,

Until God gives the word,

And calls us home forever,

The greatest ending ever heard.

“Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:11, NAS)

God’s word speaks to us personally and powerfully. It is filled with stories of those who served the Lord despite their many failings. These narratives give us hope and illustrate the faithfulness of God over and over. If we treasure what God says to us in the scripture, we will be enabled to hear what the Spirit specifically directs us to do. We will be saved from temptation and sin’s pull in our lives. We will be less distracted by other voices and focus on the voice of the Lord. We become part of the never-ending story.

Prayer: Lord, help us treasure your word in our hearts, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Tim Cox, used by permission. Thanks, Tim, and God bless you.