Our Life-Story

 

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. (Psalm 139:13-16 ESV).

 

I have written four books, thousands of sermons and devotionals, and not once did I not know how each was going to end. Our reading today details our life-story. There is no doubt as to the author. God wrote each of our stories. In fact David tells us that they were “intricately woven” and “fearfully and wonderfully” designed. Even though this is true we still find a way of easily missing the stories God has written for our lives. Winston Churchill once famously claimed that history was simply “one … thing after another.” In other words, he claimed there was no story behind our experiences in life, only a series of events. Few things are more deadening to your soul than thinking that your life ulti­mately means little more than one thing after another.

 

Yet that’s how we often feel. On many days we view our jobs or careers or families as where we have “ended up” in life. In fact, it can seem a bit presumptuous to think there’s some master plan behind whatever situation you are in right now. My youngest son has been home visiting with us for the past few days. It was a wonderful time. He gave me an early birthday present that he had ordered and brought with him. To my delighted surprise it was an Ancestry DNA kit. It was surprisingly easy to use and I am looking forward to the results. There was also an optional opportunity to fill out a detailed life-style which we then generally grouped into the population in a percentage format. Finding my comparative matching lifestyle was interesting.

 

But back to the first truth in today’s reading. The Bible tells us that the events of our lives make sense because they are part of a much larger story. The struggles of last month or the victories that we may claim in the next few weeks are not simply chance occurrences. They are part of a story line that is going somewhere. The work you do, the people you share life with, the abilities you have, and the weaknesses you struggle with are all part of a collection of ele­ments intended to make for a really good story, the story of you ... God’s story of you. We know the ultimate ending. It will good in every way. That’s what makes it such a great story to tell!