Why We Need Stories

When novelist Ernest Hemingway observed that all good books are alike in that they are truer than if they had really happened, he pointed out the power of story to communicate truths that go much deeper than the facts of the tale itself.

Good stories communicate to both the mind and the heart. They move us.

It should be no surprise, then, that God makes liberal use of stories to communicate truth. The Bible is filled with them—both the historical narratives of real people and the fictionalized parables told by Jesus. Biblical stories move us in ways that propositional statements simply do not.

Here are four good reasons to teach Bible stories to your children—and use them in your preaching and teaching.

Stories Teach by Example

“Show, don’t tell,” is the classic advice given to aspiring novelists. Stories are powerful teaching devices because they demonstrate truth rather than merely stating it. In Zacchaeus we see an example of restitution. Through Jacob’s struggle at Peniel we understand what it means to surrender to God.
When we retell biblical stories, we bring truth to life for our students.

Stories Are Memorable

Sixty percent of Americans cannot name even five of the Ten Commandments, yet most people have no trouble remembering the stories of David and Goliath or the prodigal son. Stories make truth sticky. Their meaning stays with us more easily than do facts, rules, or propositions. When we teach Bible stories we firmly lodge God’s truth into the minds of our hearers—just as Jesus did.

Stories Confront Gently

Nathan had a delicate problem. He needed to confront the most powerful man in the nation, King David, with his own wrongdoing. Rather than point an accusing finger, Nathan resorted to a parable (see 2 Sam. 12). David’s outrage at the villain of the story was easily transferred to himself, and the king repented.

God’s stories often point to a need for repentance or forgiveness. When we read these stories, we instantly identify with the characters. We know where we fit in the story, and where we stand with God.

Stories to Bring Comfort

Children love to hear the same stories repeated again and again. Often, they insist that the storyteller use the exact same words to repeat a favorite tale. That’s because there is great comfort in being reminded of familiar truths.

When we tell and retell the story of the Exodus, we are reminded that God hears the cry of His people. When we repeat the Easter drama each spring, our hope of resurrection is renewed.

Prescriptive teaching has its place. God did give us ten commandments and a host of propositional truths. Yet the narratives of scripture reveal something more to us than the mind of God. In God’s stories, we see his heart.

What is your favorite story?