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Unpacking after a business conference, I discovered an important item was missing. My Bible.

It was irreplaceable. I could deal with losing my bathrobe, but not my Bible. This Bible had occupied a special place by my bed for years. Its pages contained handwritten notes and underlining from personal study, sermons, and Sunday school lessons.          

Unwilling to accept that my Bible was gone forever, I searched. I called the hotel’s housekeeping department to see if they had found it while cleaning my room. Surely my voice conveyed heartbreak and the item’s value. They didn’t have it. Perhaps I had dropped it somewhere between the room and my car. But lost and found didn’t have it either. Next, I called the hotel’s conference coordinator to plead for help finding my missing valuable. Still, no Bible.            

Why God? Why would You allow this precious possession to go MIA? Time spent with God cleared my confusion about this loss. He helped me realize my Bible was His Word. He knew best where it should be. And that place wasn’t in my possession. Someone else needed to receive His Word—be it my Bible or my expressions of faith.                        

This loss allowed me to exhibit my faith when talking with hotel employees. Whoever found my Bible would notice it had been well used by its owner. And the notes and markings on its pages evidenced a desire to learn from those words. Would it spark the finder’s curiosity to read it?                     

The missing Bible remains missing. But I’ve solved the Whodunnit. God. He orchestrated my loss to allow His Word to be disseminated. Perhaps my Bible went to someone needing to learn about Him or a believer who needed encouragement from the notes therein. God can use me or even my possessions to get His Word out to bear fruit. I concluded I was willing to let go of my beloved Bible for that purpose.

What are some ways you can get God’s Word out?

(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)

(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)