We’ve had trouble with trees.

When my middle daughter was just four years old, she, her older sister, and I got caught in a tornado. As we ran for shelter, Caroline was nearly crushed underneath a huge maple tree that uprooted itself just three seconds after she ran past it. (I’m not even exaggerating!)

God spared her life right in front of my eyes.

Then, just three summers ago, another huge storm caught my husband by surprise as he drove home from church one Sunday morning. He pulled into our driveway and suddenly a tree came crashing through his windshield, just barely missing his head. As glass shattered around him and the storm raged outside, my husband was trapped inside his car.

But he was safe. Not a scratch on him!

Both of these instances have caused our family some consternation, but also a lot of rejoicing because they have made us aware of God’s protection over our family.

You can imagine that we tell those stories over and over again.

In the book of Ezra, the prophet recounts the plight of his people in exile and their release from slavery in Babylon. He tells about how king Darius shows favor on the people, allowing them to return to Jerusalem and how, many years later, King Artaxerxes showers them with gifts with which they could rebuild the temple.

The people of Israel had gone from dire circumstances into a place of rejoicing.

Ezra tells the story carefully so that the people will understand that all of this happened because “the gracious hand of the Lord our God was on us.” In fact, he says that phrase five times in this very short book.

“The gracious hand of the Lord our God was on us.”

Ezra reminds the people of Israel over and over again that the reason they were now out of captivity had nothing to do with them and everything to do with God’s grace. He wants them to remember where their provision for the temple had come from.

“The gracious hand of the Lord our God was on us.”

This is what my family feels when we think of our two near-misses with trees. We tell the stories over and over again to remind our children (and anyone who will listen) that it was God’s hand that protected my daughter and my husband in those storms.

Are you telling stories? Do you regularly share with your kids the many ways God has protected or provided for you? Do you remember to thank Him for His provision?

One way of bolstering our daughters’ faith is to share our family stories and to give glory to God for his care for us.

Why not spend some time this week telling stories about how God has protected or provided for you?

And as you tell your story, may your daughter know that God’s gracious hand is upon her.