“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”
ISAIAH 40:8
They sit in a closet or a corner. There may be a bit of mud still clinging to the sole. The leather may be cracked and the tread worn down. Newer, lighter, high-tech footwear has replaced the old hiking boots, yet for nostalgia we keep them. They remind us of the miles we tramped in them. Maybe we wore them when we summited a peak, or perhaps when we walked alongside someone special. So the old boots have stayed even as we discarded other worn-out gear. We might even put them on just to relive the memories.
We may have an old Bible still on the shelf too. The reasons may be similar. Perhaps it reminds us of the first verse we ever memorized. Maybe it was handed down from a loved one or given to us for graduation. We’ve since set it aside, possibly when we got a new study Bible or switched to an electronic version. But for whatever reason, we still hang on to the old Bible.
Unlike our old boots, the old Bible is just as useful as it ever was—and just as powerful. No recharging is needed to open it and begin reading. Our eyes might be drawn to an underlined passage. What did that verse mean to whoever marked it? Maybe we have notes in the margins from years ago, jottings that remind us of God’s faithfulness over time. There is hope, comfort, and healing to be found simply by holding open the Scriptures and seeking the Living Word. God is as near as our fingertips.
O Lord, Your Word is pure and sweeter even than honey. Thank you for the gift of the Bible! I am so grateful that You reveal Yourself to us in its pages.