Writing a Message: What makes a story powerful?

In the movie Amazing Grace, we watch an English politician and member of Parliament named William Wilberforce put years of effort into abolishing the slave trade. His strong belief in God's creation of men to be treated equal, pushed Wilberforce to help change what he did not think right.

In the book The Hiding Place, we become engrossed as Corrie Ten Boom describes the brutality of the concentration camps during WWII. We can almost feel the pain and hunger she and her sister felt. We cry at the devastation, the hurt and suffering atthe hands of Nazi soldiers. Then we feel conviction and bewilderment in the end when Corrie forgives the very soldier who was cruel to both her and her sister.

What makes these stories so powerful? What makes them draw a person in so much they can sense and feel every emotion that character went through?

Because they are stories that really happened. They are stories about real people who even through trials and devastation, they trusted their Heavenly Father to use them and bring glory to His name in the end.

It's stories like these that tell a strong message that reveals the power and mightiness of God.

Can you remember situations in your life where God's hand was evident? Can you remember trials or experiences that left you hopeless, but the Lord taught you to trust Him through it all? Remember looking back and being in awe of His constant goodness?

Or what about someone you know? Did they go through tough times that you could never imagine experiencing for yourself? Were you amazed as you watched God work miracles in this person's life as He turned ashes to beauty?

As you think over these times, get out a pen and paper and write it down. When you write a story based on real happenings, the story is much more believable and will touch your readers and open their eyes to the wonder of God.