chevron-leftchevron-right-+crossclosefacebook-bwGroup 15instagram-bwmenuNew Tabtwitter-bwyoutube-bw
facebook-bw twitter-bw instagram-bw youtube-bw menu close - +

This week, Jenn Jett tells us how she’s seen God use her story. Her answers reveal the beautiful truth and refining nature that awaits in sharing His story and work in our lives.

How have you seen God use your story?

I stood in front of a small group of women and felt led to share that I had recently gone through a divorce. I shared a few details about that—just how the Holy Spirit had led me to share. There was an open time for Q&A, and a young girl stood up in the back and said, “How do you handle being a Christian and going through a divorce?” It’s being sensitive to the Holy Spirit and timing. And I got to share. And I had probably five other women come up to me and send me messages that night. I could see that not only was it ministering to them, but it reminded me who God is. I think that’s the power of story—it not only ministers to others, but it ministered to me. And it was just me being reminded that God is good, and that this is the middle of my story—it is not the end of my story. It reminded me of being excited in anticipation to see what He is going to do next. It was just a sweet time of hearing the Holy Spirit say, “Go, share, and be brave.”

In what ways do you see the gospel reflected in your personal story?

God is in the business of redeeming and restoring the most broken of things. Beauty from ashes. Redemption. Jesus coming to set captives free. His broken death and His life-saving resurrection. I think how we want so desperately to be rescued from the valley—we want out as quickly as possible. But James 1:2–4 says, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

This is where God meets us and protects us and finishes the work. Faith can move mountains, but Love comes and sits with us in the valley. And it’s in coming out of the valley that we experience the power of the resurrection.

What challenges did you overcome in learning to share your story?

I believed that people would be distracted by the divorce and not see the gospel reflected in my story. I so desperately wanted people to see Jesus. I feared the stigma in the church that sometimes comes with divorce. I feared that, although my divorce was biblical, it would disqualify me from ministry. A sweet friend said, “If divorce is what you are facing, your suffering will not disqualify you—it will qualify you to minister in ways you can’t even imagine.” My greatest hope in sharing my story is that I honor the institution of marriage, I honor my marriage, and that in all my words I point to my greatest hope—my God who redeems and restores.

Recall a time when learning the story of how God worked in someone else's life influenced your faith?

I recently shared my story at a conference. I thought, For sure I am going to scare these women. This is not the easiest story to hear. Afterward, two young women came up to me with tears in their eyes and said, “Your story is almost exactly like ours.” My heart broke, but at the same time I was so thankful I could pour hope into their lives, hope that was an overflow of God’s faithfulness in my life. I sat with them, reminded them that God sees them, and then prayed over them—prayers that came from a place of suffering and understanding and hope and compassion. I got to sit with them in the lonely. We sat and tearfully thanked the Lord for seeing us.

Why do you believe it's important to share the stories of how God has worked in our lives?

I remember in the darkest seasons of my life hearing other people’s stories of hope. Their stories gave me hope to keep believing that God keeps His promises. To keep believing that God is a God who redeems and restores the most broken things. To remind me to abide in Him, His Word, and His presence even in the silence. To keep fighting the good fight, keep walking the narrow road. I fought to believe these truths so much that when the Lord did not answer my prayers to save my marriage, I saw clearly He was answering my prayers to redeem and restore. He is redeeming and restoring me.

Share

Leader Guide

Download

Learn More

About IF:Equip

Go Back

Redeemed

Daily Question

How have you seen God use your story?

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comments (0)

Have questions?

We've got answers.

View Our FAQs