The B-I-B-L-E

I’ve had a good week. Long stretches of driving alone with my thoughts, interspersed with special visits to friends and family provided times rich with meaning. A theme emerged this week in many of the conversations … The Bible.

A dear friend, who came to know the Lord in her early 20’s, shared the moving story of her first Bible with me. After receiving Christ she was hungry to know more about God. She went to a Christian bookstore and simply told the clerk she was a new believer and needed a Bible. He carefully selected a Bible with a concordance, cross-references, maps, and many other features. It was perfect for her. What an amazing privilege to provide a new believer with the word of God and what an honor to receive it! That Bible is still her “go to” scripture source to this day. I was deeply touched as she told her story and held the precious gift in her hands.

As I type this I can hear the old children’s Sunday School song clearly in my mind …

The B-I-B-L-E
Yes. That’s the book for me.
I stand alone on the word of God.
The B-I-B-L-E

I received my first Bible from my parents shortly after I learned to read. It had a white cover with gold lettering and contained kid-friendly pictures sprinkled among the words of the King James version. I treasured that little Bible and carried it to Sunday School each week so I could read John 3:16 along with the teacher.

After our fourth grade year we were “promoted” to the fifth grade Sunday School class and the church gave each of us a Bible. The most exciting part of the class each week occurred when we had “sword drills”. Sword drills consisted of keeping your Bible down by your side until the teacher finished quoting a scripture. We then swooped our Bibles up to eye level and raced to see who could find the verse first. It was competitive, fun, and we learned a lot.

When I reached my early 20’s I received a New American Standard Bible from a precious friend. The Jesus movement was just beginning so I protected it with a leather Maranatha cover just like everyone else. This is the Bible I still use today. It has been with me through some really good times and some terribly tough times. Tattered pages, highlighted scriptures, and a few scrapes on the leather cover mark the history of my life with this precious book. This Bible has been through a lot, and so have I. It almost opens automatically to my favorite passage of scripture, Isaiah 40:28-31 (NASB).

28 Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth
Does not become weary or tired.
His understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives strength to the weary,
And to the one who lacks might He increases power.
30 Though youths grow weary and tired,
And vigorous young men stumble badly,
31 Yet those who wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.

I’m grateful for the constant reminder of God’s love and care for me. He is my strength. He is my hope. He is my Savior.

The B-I-B-L-E
Yes. That’s the book for me.
I stand alone on the word of God.
The B-I-B-L-E