“Tolkien, like C. S. Lewis, believed that through story the real world becomes a more magical place, full of meaning. We see its pattern and colour in a fresh way. The recovery of a true view of things applies both to individual things like hills and stones, and to the cosmic—the depths of space and time itself.”
~ Colin Duriez, The J. R. R. Tolkien Handbook: A Concise Guide to His Life, Writings, and World of Middle-Earth
Stories hold immense power in our lives. They can help us see clearly when the challenges of life cloud our vision. They have a way of bypassing the barriers of our minds and speaking directly to our hearts, revealing truths we might otherwise ignore.
Consider the story of King David, a man after God’s own heart and an ancestor of Jesus. Despite his faith and legacy, David was deeply flawed. He committed adultery with Bathsheba and, to cover his sin, orchestrated the murder of her husband, Uriah—a loyal warrior and one of David’s elite “Mighty Men.”
Uriah’s loyalty makes David’s betrayal even more despicable. Uriah honored David, yet David stole his wife and arranged for his death. After these acts of treachery, David felt no apparent remorse. Life moved on: Bathsheba bore David a son, and the king continued his reign as if nothing had happened.
It wasn’t until the prophet Nathan confronted David that the king’s hardened heart finally broke. Nathan approached David not with accusations, but with a story.
“Your Majesty,” Nathan said, “I have a story to tell.”
David, perhaps eager for a moment of distraction, replied, “I love a good story. Let me hear it.”
Nathan told a tale of two men. One was rich, possessing vast herds and fields. The other was poor, owning just one cherished lamb, which he treated like family. When the rich man had guests, instead of taking from his own abundance, he stole the poor man’s lamb to serve at the feast.
David was enraged. “That man deserves to die!” he declared.
Then Nathan delivered the blow: “You are that man.”
Through this simple story, Nathan cut through David’s defenses. For more than a year, David had ignored his sin, going through the motions of worship without repentance. Nathan’s story bypassed David’s pride and opened his heart to conviction. It allowed him to see clearly again.
That is the power of story.
Stories have a unique ability to reveal spiritual realities, reconnect us with joy, rekindle love, and remind us of the beauty in God’s creation. They can expose hidden truths and inspire us to reflect, repent, and grow.
Ultimately, the greatest power of a story lies in its ability to point us to the greatest Story of all. Tolkien and Lewis understood this. To them, every great story echoes the Gospel—the True Story in which God enters His creation as a man, lives among us, dies for us, and rises again.
The Gospel is the ultimate narrative: God, the master Storyteller, crafting a tale of love, redemption, and triumph. It is the one story that is not only beautiful and meaningful but also True.
When used wisely, stories can lead us to the foot of the cross, the wonder of the empty tomb, and the hope of a Kingdom that is ever expanding.
That is the power of story.
* Though it wasn’t the point of this post, I think it is important to consider Bathsheba in this event of David’s life. We should ask questions like: How did she feel during this time? Did she even have a say in what happened? With Uriah, she was cherished, loved, and honored. With David, she became just another wife in his growing harem. She was a victim of David’s abuse of power.
