Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18
Your Story
How do you talk about God’s love?
My Story and the Bible Story
I love to tell the story
Of unseen things above,
Of Jesus and his glory,
Of Jesus and his love.
I love to tell the story,
Because I know ’tis true;
It satisfies my longings
As nothing else can do.
I love to tell the story,
’twill be my theme in glory,
To tell the old, old story
Of Jesus and his love.
I love to tell the story,
For those who know it best
Seem hungering and thirsting
To hear it like the rest.
And when, in scenes of glory,
I sing the new, new song,
’twill be the old, old story
That I have loved so long.
I love to tell the story,
’twill be my theme in glory,
To tell the old, old story
Of Jesus and his love.
When I was a child, I loved singing the hymn, “I Love to Tell the Story.” I loved telling people about God and this hymn reflects that. As an adult, it is sometimes harder to tell others about God. I am more worried about what they will think of me or how they will react than I was when I was a child. And yet, the love of God is so amazing, so awe inspiring, that we can’t help but tell others about it. That’s certainly how the Psalmist felt in Psalm 89. Read Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18. From The Message: Your love, God, is my song, and I’ll sing it! I’m forever telling everyone how faithful you are. I’ll never quit telling the story of your love—how you built the cosmos and guaranteed everything in it. Your love has always been our lives’ foundation, your fidelity has been the roof over our world. You once said, ‘I joined forces with my chosen leader, I pledged my word to my servant, David, saying, ‘Everyone descending from you is guaranteed life; I’ll make your rule as solid and lasting as rock.’’ Blessed are the people who know the passwords of praise, who shout on parade in the bright presence of God. Delighted, they dance all day long; they know who you are, what you do—they can’t keep it quiet! Your vibrant beauty has gotten inside us—you’ve been so good to us! We’re walking on air! All we are and have we owe to God, Holy God of Israel, our King!
Your vibrant beauty has gotten inside us—you’ve been so good to us! Have you ever thought about that? Our Creative God’s vibrant beauty, beauty that is a living, breathing thing, has gotten inside us. And not only has it gotten inside us, but it makes us beautiful as well. There’s a saying that beauty is only skin deep, and to some extent, that’s true. The way you look on the outside may not necessarily match who you are on the inside. You can be beautiful on the outside and be a grumpy, mean person that nobody wants to be around. Or you may not be the most beautiful, but you are nice to everyone you see and you help others. Inner beauty—the kind that helps, is kind, listens to, and encourages others—comes from God.
When God’s vibrant beauty is inside of us, we can’t help but be beautiful. And that beauty overflows. As the Psalmist says, we can’t keep quiet. When you know how much God loves you and how much God loves everyone, you can’t stop telling others about the story of God’s love. You can’t stop telling everyone how faithful God is. God is always faithful. God’s love is the foundation for our lives. It’s what keeps us grounded in our faith and it’s what keeps us steady when times are hard. God’s faithfulness, or fidelity, is the roof over our world. It keeps us safe. Your roof is on your house to keep you safe. It keeps things like trees, rain, storms, etc. out of your house. It keeps you safe. God’s faithfulness is like that as well. God is always with us and will keep us safe. God holds us in the palm of God’s hand and God will not let us go. No wonder the Psalmist says that he’s forever telling everyone about how faithful God is and the story of God’s love! There’s no other love like God’s. Even the people who love you the most (your parents, grandparents, etc.) cannot always be there for you. But God is ALWAYS there. No matter what happens, God is there. That’s the story we should tell to everyone we meet: the story of God’s love and faithfulness.
Discussion
• What are some ways in which God has been faithful to your family?
• Ask your children about ways in which they share God’s love.
• How can you share God’s love and faithfulness this week?
Prayer
Thank God for God’s love and faithfulness. Ask for help in sharing it with others.
Jessica Asbell is currently serving as the Minister to Children at First Baptist Church of Roswell, GA. She has worked with children in various capacities at several churches, including Winter Park Baptist in Wilmington, NC, First Baptist of Decatur, GA, and Highland Hills Baptist in Macon, GA. She has a Master of Divinity from McAfee School of Theology and a BBA from Mercer University. In her spare time she loves to read, watch movies, and of course spend time with her sweet kitty, Lucy.
