I am pleased to once again bring you a devotional from Lucy Neeley Adams. This first appeared in The Upper Room Daily Devotional in August, 1977. Thank you, dear Lucy, for sharing it here with us.
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A Tattered Testament (Read Psalm 46)
"Thy word is to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart,
for I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts. (Jeremiah 15:16)
My tattered little paperback New Testament sits on my bookshelf,
held together by a rubber band. I still find great meaning in reading it, but I must handle it more carefully than when it was new.
Its messages are still like water when I am thirsty, or food when I am
hungry.
On several occasions it has renewed my shaking spirit when I saw no
way to get through the moment.
In the last four years there have been four deaths among my close
friends. They were so sudden that it took all the faith I had to persevere. From my daily Bible study, God gave me strength
to be helpful to the grieving families. And this little paperback
Testament was my constant companion at the funeral services.
On its
inside front cover, I have written: "Holding onto this at the funeral of:
_____." I filled in each name at the beginning of their
funeral.
I know there is no magic in holding the Bible. But I do know
there is a miracle of peace and comfort that comes from being assured of its inner message.
PRAYER: O God, how wonderful it is to have Your Word!
Thank You for the people who were inspired to write for You. Loving my
Bible is an outgrowth of loving You. I do love You and thank
You. Amen
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
My Bible is like a rudder that guides me through each day.
Lucy Neeley Adams Winchester, Tn.
(August 6, 1977) The Upper Room Daily
Devotional - Nashville, Tn.
Thank you, dear Lucy, for this much needed devotional today. God continues to shine upon you. I love you!
ReplyDeleteHi, Jean, thanks for visiting. I agree with you. And I, too, had a Gideon New Testament that gradually fell apart and I had to hold it together with a rubber band.
ReplyDeleteThanks Peggy and Lucy, for sharing this wonderful devotional with us! I still have my first Bible and treasure it as you do. Just something awesome about it holding the Words of God. Love to you both. Have a blessed Christmas.
ReplyDeleteSally, thanks so much for stopping by. I have a collection of Bibles that have special meaning to me. The oldest is one my parents gave to me on my 25th birthday. I inherited my paternal grandmother's Bible, and I have my dad's study Bible with all his notes in the margins. Rich treasures for sure.
ReplyDeleteThanks to Lucy for this devotional and to you, Peggy, for republishing it! Blessings on you both.
ReplyDeleteHi, Cass, appreciate you dropping in. Lucy writes the most wonderful devotionals, doesn't she?
ReplyDeleteI can just see Lucy standing there in church with that little Bible for each of those four funerals.I'd be touched and blessed to see dear Lucy in any emotional situation like that. I'm sure she means the world to her church community. Lucy was my classmate at Wesleyan College in Macon,Georgia, and I so remember her face and her radiant, tender attitude. She sent me to your group, and my over-busy life has delayed my checking in. I am so impressed by this rich site, and all its connections and opportunities.
ReplyDeleteCharlotte, thank you so much for visiting my site! How special that you know our Lucy from years ago. I've not had a chance to meet her, but love hr to pieces! Blessings to you.
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