When renowned scholar and atheist C.S. Lewis came to faith in Christ, it had widespread effects. People who were skeptical and irreligious began to listen. People who were stagnant in their faith began to think of Jesus anew. Lewis’ subsequent writings, lectures, and radio programs introduced his audience to new ways of thinking about the Christian faith and, for some, introduced them to Jesus for the first time. As his story spread, so did God’s glory.
God always designs our stories to affect others around us. He is seeking to fill the earth “with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14). This means that your story is meant to be on display, to show the world how good and powerful God has been in your life!
The foundational story of the Old Testament was the story of the exodus—how God used Moses to deliver his people from slavery in Egypt by parting the Red Sea. When Moses recorded the story, he described it like this: “Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses” (Exodus 14:30–31). This miraculous intervention proved to Israel that their God was the great Deliverer and Savior of His people.
The story could not be suppressed. It spread among the nations and into posterity. First, it spread to the Egyptians, as they heard reports that their leaders and soldiers were dead on the banks of the Red Sea. God had orchestrated this entire event in order that “the Egyptians [would] know that I am the Lord” (Exodus 14:18). Next, word spread to Midian. Shortly after Israel’s exodus, Moses encountered his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian. Jethro had already “heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people, how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt” (Exodus 18:1). Finally, it spread across the entire world: “But I will for their sake remember the covenant with their forefathers, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations” (Leviticus 26:45, emphasis added).
Hundreds of years after the exodus, the story was still a reminder to God’s people that he was mighty, holy, and great:
“I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds. Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples. You with your arm redeemed your people, the children of Jacob and Joseph. . . . Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen. You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.” (Psalm 77:11–20)
Moses’ story—which was really God’s story of salvation for his people Israel—brought glory to God as it spread across the nations and was repeated down through the generations. That’s the power of a great story. And your story has the same potential. As it is shared, it reveals the majesty of our God and brings Him glory. As you give voice to God’s work in your life, you allow your story to produce deep and lasting impact in the lives of others!