What has the Lord been up to in your life? And who are you telling about it?

In today’s readings from the Book of Common Prayer, the psalmist calls us to be the kind of people who readily declare God’s goodness:

Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.
Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts. (Psalm 105:1-2)

What’s interesting, however, is that the psalmist doesn’t then proceed to rattle off a list of all the blessings that he or she has received from the Lord: the prayers answered, the provision offered, or the protection given. Instead, the psalmist  goes back and recounts the sacred story that forms the bedrock of faith: the story of Abraham and Joseph…the story of Moses and the Exodus…the story of events that took place long ago, but which continue to define who God is and how the psalmist is meant to live as a result.

And perhaps there’s an important lesson in there for us. Yes, we declare God’s goodness as it has been revealed in the specific events of this day: in the sunrise that took our breath away…in the words from a friend that lifted our spirit…in the sense of peace that allowed us to keep going in the face of bad news. But we also declare God’s goodness as it has been revealed in the grand story of God’s redemptive purpose: in the story of Adam and Moses and David…in the story of Jesus and Peter and Paul…in the story of countless women and men from scripture and history who have sought God’s face and have allowed His Spirit to guide them. Because their story is our story, too! As author John Eldredge puts it:

What if?
What if all the great stories that have ever moved you, brought you joy or tears–what if they are telling you something about the true Story into which you were born, the Epic into which you have been cast?

(Epic: The Story God Is Telling and the Role That Is Yours to Play, p. 15)

Today, may you know deep within your heart that you are part of that epic tale that God is still writing in the world and in your life. And may you readily declare the goodness of the Lord who promises that there will be a “happily ever after.”