I love old Bibles! One of my most treasured possessions is an old, very old, small Bible that was given to me by my husband.
He paid only a few cents for it at a country sale held alongside the road in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. According to the dates etched in calligraphy on the presentation page, the Bible was presented in 1886.
Inside of the old Bible are carefully penned hand written notes and meticulously underlined favorite scriptures. It took planning, a fountain pen and an ink pot to write notes on those pages. Faded by the ravages of time, some of the markings are almost illegible.
In my mind, I can imagine the owner of this small Bible sitting at her kitchen table each morning, reading inspiration (by candlelight?) for the new day in the pages of God’s Word. It is very moving to gently flip through the pages of this treasure and read the verses that encouraged a dear saint who had gone on to be with Jesus before my own great grandmother was even born.
Odd as it would seem, the young woman struggled with the same problems, temptations and failings that I struggle with today. Our modern technologies haven’t changed the fragile human condition with all its weaknesses and trials. I can tell by the worn, dog eared pages that some of her favorite chapters to read are also my favorites. Someday, when I’ve gone to be with my Lord, I hope to meet this gentle soul who lived so strong for Christ.
My heart can only hope that one day somebody who loves the Lord, hopefully my own grandchildren, will find my old Bible and be encouraged by the markings I’ve made in its pages as I’ve read. What an incredible testimony of God’s faithfulness; to leave a Bible, well read, marked up, worn out and earmarked with tear stained pages.
One of the underlined verses this dear saint, whose name was “Anna,” treasured, speaks even more clearly, now, to me, as I read God’s Word, than it did when she read it in 1886:
Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Prayer: Father, help me to always treasure your Word. Give me the Holy Spirit to instruct me hot to apply your principles to my every day life. Thank you. I love you. Amen