January 15th, 2024
Written by Tabitha White
Have you ever heard a song, and a line from the song jumped out at you and stayed with you for weeks? Well, that happened to me over the Christmas season. Yes, I know we are a few weeks out from Christmas, but that’s how long this line has been echoing through my mind!
Every July, I start listening to Christmas songs to find the one that will be the finale of our Revival Kids Christmas play. I can’t tell you how many songs Gabi and I listen to every year in search of the perfect song, the song that will not only wrap up the play, but can lead into an altar call. This year, we listened to songs from July to October and couldn’t find one we thought really fit that bill. I was starting to get a little (lot) concerned when a new song popped up in my Spotify playlist. The name of the song was “Manger Throne,” and as soon as I heard the song, I knew it was the one we needed!
I loved the entire song! It was all about the amazing King that we have who didn’t come to us in splendor, but on a “manger throne.” As I listened to the song on repeat, one line always jumped out at me: “But You wrote a better story…”
I have always been an avid reader, and this line grabbed my attention. We hear quite often that God is the Author of Life. Psalm 139:16 says, “Every day of my life was recorded in your book.” However, some days, we can be guilty of trying to become the author of our own story.
In Jesus’ day, the Jews were looking for a Messiah that fit into the box that they had created in their minds…”but He wrote a better story.”
In our everyday life, we compare our current situation to the American dream. We think that other people have lives that are so much easier than ours. We wait impatiently for the perfect job, spouse, home, child, or vehicle. Or, we tell God that we will only follow Him if our calling fits into the plan that we have for our own lives…”but He wrote a better story!”
He began writing our story long before we were even born. In Ephesians 2:10, Paul wrote that we are created, “So we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” The Creator of the universe has written a story for each of our lives. We are told throughout the Bible that He has good plans for us (Jeremiah 29:11), that He’s working things for our good (Romans 8:28), and that He will finish what He starts in our lives (Philippians 1:6)…if we will only let Him hold onto the pen that’s writing the story.
I know there have been times in my life that I wanted to take the pen out of God’s hand and try to write my own story, a story that didn’t include pain, heartache, death, or loss. But isn’t it in those moments that we grow closer to the One who never leaves our side? It’s the moments where I’ve fully surrendered the story of my life to Him that I cherish the most! The ones where I move out of the way and let Him lead and guide as He sees fit because “He wrote a better story”!
As we start off 2024, I have a challenge for each person reading this. Will you join me in leaning into the story that God has written for your life? Not the life that you wish you had, but the one God wrote specifically for you before you took your first breath! He promises you in Psalm 32:8, He, “Will guide you along the best pathway for your life.” He’s the Author of your life, so never forget that “He wrote a better story”!
Have you ever heard a song, and a line from the song jumped out at you and stayed with you for weeks? Well, that happened to me over the Christmas season. Yes, I know we are a few weeks out from Christmas, but that’s how long this line has been echoing through my mind!
Every July, I start listening to Christmas songs to find the one that will be the finale of our Revival Kids Christmas play. I can’t tell you how many songs Gabi and I listen to every year in search of the perfect song, the song that will not only wrap up the play, but can lead into an altar call. This year, we listened to songs from July to October and couldn’t find one we thought really fit that bill. I was starting to get a little (lot) concerned when a new song popped up in my Spotify playlist. The name of the song was “Manger Throne,” and as soon as I heard the song, I knew it was the one we needed!
I loved the entire song! It was all about the amazing King that we have who didn’t come to us in splendor, but on a “manger throne.” As I listened to the song on repeat, one line always jumped out at me: “But You wrote a better story…”
I have always been an avid reader, and this line grabbed my attention. We hear quite often that God is the Author of Life. Psalm 139:16 says, “Every day of my life was recorded in your book.” However, some days, we can be guilty of trying to become the author of our own story.
In Jesus’ day, the Jews were looking for a Messiah that fit into the box that they had created in their minds…”but He wrote a better story.”
In our everyday life, we compare our current situation to the American dream. We think that other people have lives that are so much easier than ours. We wait impatiently for the perfect job, spouse, home, child, or vehicle. Or, we tell God that we will only follow Him if our calling fits into the plan that we have for our own lives…”but He wrote a better story!”
He began writing our story long before we were even born. In Ephesians 2:10, Paul wrote that we are created, “So we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” The Creator of the universe has written a story for each of our lives. We are told throughout the Bible that He has good plans for us (Jeremiah 29:11), that He’s working things for our good (Romans 8:28), and that He will finish what He starts in our lives (Philippians 1:6)…if we will only let Him hold onto the pen that’s writing the story.
I know there have been times in my life that I wanted to take the pen out of God’s hand and try to write my own story, a story that didn’t include pain, heartache, death, or loss. But isn’t it in those moments that we grow closer to the One who never leaves our side? It’s the moments where I’ve fully surrendered the story of my life to Him that I cherish the most! The ones where I move out of the way and let Him lead and guide as He sees fit because “He wrote a better story”!
As we start off 2024, I have a challenge for each person reading this. Will you join me in leaning into the story that God has written for your life? Not the life that you wish you had, but the one God wrote specifically for you before you took your first breath! He promises you in Psalm 32:8, He, “Will guide you along the best pathway for your life.” He’s the Author of your life, so never forget that “He wrote a better story”!
1 Comment
Thank you Pastor Tabitha 💜