The Path Of A Peacemaker A Devotional By P. Brian NobleSampel

“God in Your Story” 

Life is like a book. When you meet someone, you never know which chapter of their life you have entered. But when you figure that out, you’re better able to relate to them. At the same time, your life is like a series of chapters being written too. Don’t neglect to think about where you’re at in your own story. 

Furthermore, our stories all have context—interrelated conditions in which someone or something exists—that makes us who we are. Our backgrounds. Our experiences. Our parents. Our beliefs. Our geographic locations. The list of factors that shape us into who we are is endless. In other words, nobody lives in a bubble. We are who we are based on myriad factors—and the better we understand what those factors are, the better equipped we will be to deal with conflict.

So context matters. One of the reasons we experience tension is because of the context of our lives. 

And perhaps more than any other factor, your view of God is extremely important in how it shapes your story. If you feel God has let you down, your story is shaped or reshaped. If you feel like God exists but isn’t present in your life, your story is shaped or reshaped. If you believe God is your Creator, if you believe God is your Judge, if you believe God is your Savior, your story is shaped or reshaped.

When you are in conflict with another person, you’d do well to remember that their view of God is extremely important for their story too. Do you know what they think about God?

Look back at today’s Scripture passages and think about them in terms of what they tell us we can be sure is true of God.

• God is the Creator (Ps. 139:13–14; Isa. 40:28).

• God is holy and the ultimate Judge (James 4:12; 1 Pet. 1:14–16).

• God sent his Son as the Savior of the world (Rom. 5:6–8).

• God is a Protector (2 Thess. 3:3).

• God is good (Ps. 107:1).

• God is merciful (Ps. 145:9).

Understanding God like that is good background for writing the rest of your story!

Think back over the story of your life and how beliefs about God have been woven into it. How is your perspective on God affecting you now?