Not quite 20 years ago, I decided to attend a Christian leadership conference. At the time, I was studying at a seminary in Vancouver, BC and the conference was in Atlanta. You geography buffs will know that that’s a long trip and it would have to be by plane – so I booked a flight. I also booked a hotel that was pretty close to the conference center. Now, given my flight times, I would have to stay three nights, but I only booked a hotel for the middle night. It sounds foolish but that is how I felt God was leading me. I would have to trust God that he would provide accommodations for the other nights.

There was also another dynamic that complicated my travel plans. At the time, I wasn’t yet 25 and if you want to rent a car, you need to be 25 or older, at least that was the case at the time. I didn’t have the money to have a taxi take me all over the place so both transportation and my accommodations for two nights would have to be “by faith.”

As this trip approached I was starting to get a little worried about how everything would come together. But the week before I left, as I was telling one of my friends about the trip and some of the details, he said that his wife’s brother was at a university in Atlanta. I don’t remember how it all came together, but my friend’s brother in law agreed to pick me up at the airport and then take me to the conference the next day. Coupled with that, another one of my seminary friends said he had a pastor friend in Atlanta who was attending the same conference I was attending. He gave me his number and once again, this connection would prove vital.

Off I went to attend the conference. My flight arrived at midnight and just as planned my friend’s brother in law picked me up, and I stayed overnight with him and his little family. Early the next morning, he drove me to the conference about a half hour away. That’s the only contact I have ever had with him. God placed him in my life for that very short time and I have never talked to him again.

I attended the first day of the conference, and to be honest with you, the conference was quite a disappointment. I think the Lord had me there for other reasons. The theme of this trip was becoming clear – faith!

After the first day ended, somehow, I was able to find a ride to my hotel. I had a good nights sleep but there was no “resting easy” in the sense that I knew the next morning I would have to find someone to drive me to the conference center. I could only rest in the knowledge that God would take care of everything. The next morning, yet again, the Lord provided free transportation to the conference.

During the second day of the conference I was able to connect with another “friend’s friend” who was a pastor. I didn’t have a cell phone so I was just borrowing other people’s cell phones but eventually I got a hold of him and we found each other in the arena and really hit it off. That night I was privileged to spend some time with the staff of his church and they took me out for a fancy meal and then ice cream afterward. You probably won’t be surprised, but my new friend asked if I would like to stay overnight at his place. Of course, I agreed, and after a short sleep he took me to the airport first thing in the morning (around 4am) for me to catch my flight home.

There is more that I could tell you about that trip but I think you get the picture. Just like the Christian life, this trip was all about faith. I remember when I first told that story to my wife (we were dating at the time) – she thought I was crazy! After sixteen years of marriage, she now knows that without a doubt.

As I look back on that whole experience, from start to finish I see God’s hand. Simply put – He took care of me. Not having transportation and accommodations was no barrier too difficult for God (Job 42:2).

One thing we don’t do enough of as Christians is to tell our faith stories to one another. What I mean by “faith stories” is quite simple – stories that communicate God’s faithfulness and sufficiency to meet our every need, like the one I just told. I think there are at least two reasons for this. First, we aren’t stepping out in faith and trusting God so we simply don’t have any. Second, we are fearful that if we do tell them, it will sound prideful on our part. If we tell the story, we fear it will come across as if we are trying to gain glory from it. That is certainly not my intention in telling this faith story. The apostle Paul’s words to the Corinthians apply. “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord” (2 Corinthians 10:17).

Let me affirm that our testimony as Christians should be centered upon the message of the gospel (1 John 1:1-4). We preach Christ-crucified. That must always be the heart of our message. At the same time our testimony should be backed up by evidences of God’s faithfulness in the here and now (Acts 12:17).

The Christian life is a life of faith. Indeed, “we walk by faith and not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). Never forget that as you live by faith and trust the wonderful promises of God, He will take care of you. The Bible says, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

Let me encourage you to tell you faith stories, and to tell them often, but do so in a way that honors God. The orientation of faith is always off of self and onto God. Telling these stories will remind us that God is faithful and trustworthy. Nothing is too difficult for Him!

May our faith stories not just be relics from our past, but may they also dot our present experience. And may our faith grow and multiply as the Lord continues to prepare us for our heavenly home.