Approaching God
As you settle your hearts and minds from the world around you, consider the immensity of God’s story and how each detail tells of God’s power and majesty.
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them.” (Psalm 19:1-4)
Listening to God
We each play a special part in God’s story. Do you ever feel like your story doesn’t measure up to someone else’s story? This is a feeling all of us have probably been familiar with at some point or another in our lives. What is God telling you about the story you’re currently living? Does God want something to change in your story?
Talking to God
Our personal stories testify to God’s promises of faithfulness, love, forgiveness, and compassion. Ask God to remind you of a chapter in your story that points to God’s omnipresence and promises. Express your gratitude to God for those times, whether filled with joy or suffering.
Responding to God
Scripture tell us that as disciples, we have an obligation to share the story of God’s providence in our lives. After reading the verses below from Romans, how might God be calling you to live more fully into your story? How can you share the story of God with others by how you live into your own story?
“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” (Romans 10:14-15)
Surrendering to God
“Creator God, I praise you for your dominion and your story that is full of vibrant promises. Reveal to me the opportunities you desire for your story to ring true in the ways I live out my story. Guide me in ways that demonstrate how truly powerful your story is. Amen.”
By Ashley Zuverink
A HISTORICAL SIDEBAR
The Reformation may have begun with Luther’s posting of the Ninety-five Theses in Wittenberg, Germany on October 31, 1517. Yet, the Reformation spread through the missions and ministry of other Reformers. Huldrych Zwingli helped expand Protestantism in Zurich, and John Calvin was influential in Geneva. Thomas Cranmer and Richard Hooker were influential in England, while John Knox made significant contributions in Scotland and continued to grow in France, Italy, the Netherlands, and throughout Europe.
