I love old Bibles! One of my most treasured possessions is an old, very old, pocket Bible. My husband paid only a few cents for it at a sidewalk sale. According to the dates etched in calligraphy on the presentation page, the Bible is over 100 years old!
Inside are hand written notes; favorite scriptures. Faded by the ravages of time, some of the markings are almost illegible. It is very moving to gently flip through the pages of this treasure and read the favorite verses of a dear saint who has gone on to be with Jesus.
Odd as it would seem, the woman struggled with the same problems, temptations and failings that I do! Our modern technologies haven’t changed the fragile human condition with all its weaknesses and trials. One day, 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. What an incredible testimony of God’s faithfulness; to leave a Bible used, marked up, worn out and earmarked with tear stained pages.
One of the verses this dear saint, whose name was “Anna”, treasured, speaks even more clearly now, as I serve God today, than it did when she wrote it in 1886:
Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.