Pass the Story Down

Read

Isaiah 38:19-20 “The living, the living—they praise you, as I am doing today; parents tell their children about your faithfulness. The LORD will save me, and we will sing with stringed instruments all the days of our lives in the temple of the LORD.”

Think

Does your family have a story that gets told over and over?

Maybe it's the time your uncle fell into the pool with his clothes on. Or the time the dog stole the whole turkey off the counter. Every holiday somebody says, “Remember when...?” and everyone starts laughing, even though they've heard it a hundred times.

Stories like that get passed down. Grandparents tell parents. Parents tell kids. And someday, you'll probably tell them too!

After God healed him, King Hezekiah wanted to make sure a very special story got passed down. A story about God.

When Hezekiah got better, he wrote a song. In it, he said something beautiful: “Parents tell their children about your faithfulness.” Faithful means God always keeps his promises. He always comes through.

Hezekiah wanted families to tell the story of what God did. Not just once, but over and over, from grown-ups to kids, for years and years.

He also said, “We will sing.” Hezekiah was so thankful that he wanted to sing to God with music for the rest of his life. His heart was full!

That's what happens when God helps us. We want to say, “Thank you.” We want to sing. And we want to tell others what God did.

Your family has God stories too. Maybe God helped your mom through something hard before you were born. Maybe God answered a prayer for your grandpa a long time ago.

Those stories are treasures. They remind us that God has been faithful before, so we can trust him to be faithful again.

And guess what? You're starting your own God stories right now. Every time God helps you, answers a prayer, or takes care of you, that's a story worth telling.

Someday a kid might ask you, “Did God ever help you?” And you'll get to smile and say, “Let me tell you a story.”

Apply

Ask for a God story – Ask a parent, grandparent, or another grown-up you love, “Can you tell me about a time God helped you?” Listen closely, then thank God together for being faithful.

Pray

God, thank you for being faithful to my family and to me. Thank you for all the times you have helped us. Help me remember your goodness and tell others about it. In Jesus' name. Amen.