While sitting around the dinner table last week, celebrating my 54th birthday, my children shared stories of their childhood memories with me. One of them recalled the stories I would tell them at bedtime. Another mentioned how I would share silly stories from my childhood. When I looked at my youngest and asked if he remembered me telling stories, he said, with furrowed brow, “Of course, dad.” As you might imagine, my heart welled up with gratitude and a sense of pride. I was so glad to know my practice of sharing stories from my life, their mother’s life, and their grandparents’ lives remained so endearing to them as they aged. I had always hoped the stories would communicate moral virtue and humor that would appear in their own lives. I had always hoped that somehow the stories would help shape their hopes, dreams, and expectations for life. I don’t know if I always consciously thought about it back in the day, but as I look back, I definitely wanted to give them a positive framework for understanding their family history, despite its brokenness and dysfunction.
Upon reading Psalm 44 this morning, I was struck by how the Sons of Korah—the stated authors of the psalm—described the stories their fathers told about God’s provision for the people of Israel. It’s clear that the Sons of Korah heard tons of amazing narratives about how the Lord miraculously provided land, salvation, and hope through his mighty hand. Psalm 44 is all about recounting their fathers’ stories, and they recount them not simply for their own benefit or only to have warm feelings in their hearts—they were also reminding God of what He had done for their fathers and were telling Him how it gave them hope for today (their today). Facing considerable suffering and violence at the hand of their enemies, they expressed hope that God would do for them what he had done for their fathers.
The last verse of the psalm, verse 26, especially highlights why the Sons of Korah recount their fathers’ stories. “Rise up,” they declare, “come to our help! Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love!” They want God to save them “for the sake of [his] steadfast love,” wording that signals a covenantal love. They are pleading with God that He remember His covenant! This covenantal love is eternal and based upon grace, not the performance of his people (notice the way God made the covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15). It’s as if the Sons of Korah are saying, “Father God, don’t discredit all the amazing, miraculous ways you’ve worked in your people’s lives by not fulfilling your covenant; instead, enable us to keep your law, and your name will be protected for all time.”
Friends, as we consider the arduous task of imparting the gospel to our children, I know we all share more stories than those appearing between Genesis 1 and Revelation 22. We also share our gospel-filled stories—the amazing ways the God of the Bible has been working and will continue to work in our lives! We all know there will be times when our kids encounter evil, pain, trial, and opposition. But, as Psalm 44 reminds us, we must call upon the Lord and plead that He would bring the stories of the Bible to life in our present moment—so that we might once again experience His strong, kind, and loving salvation in our lives. Don’t stop sharing your stories. They’re powerful. They will be remembered. They give hope and a faithful anchor, both for you and your children.