How much time do we spend, oth er than Sunday, with God’s Word in our hands? A pastor was called to visit with an elderly woman whose eyesight, as well as her health, had been fail ing. The first thing this saint of God asked was, “Pastor, w ill you read from the Bible to me?” There were no complaints upon her lips, she had no questioning of her state of sight and health — there was just the request, “W ill you read from the Bible to me?” As the minister opened the Word of God he noticed that this Christian woman had marked certain verses with the letters T and P. When he questioned her about it she beamed brightly and explained, “Oh, those are the verses that mean so much to me. The Bible is fu ll of promises, as you know, and l just claim them for myself. When 1 use one and see how God works on my behalf, I put down T and P — that stands for ‘Tried and Proven.’ ” A ll too often we forget what God has promised, and we live in fear of the future rather than in a sim ple trust in Him, confident that He w ill keep His promises. The follow ing verse means more than finan cial aid: “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory, by Jesus Christ!” “He knows, He loves, He cares — Nothing this truth can dim. He gives the very best to those who leave the choice with Him.”
A PRAYER FOR THE HURRIED Slow me down Lord! Ease the pounding of my heart by the quieting of my mind. Steady my hurried pace with a vi sion of the eternal, not the tempor ary. Give me, amidst the confusion of my day, the calmness of Thine own peace. Break the tension of my nerves and muscles with the soothing melo dies of Thy music rather than the rattle of the world’s din. Help me to know the restoring power of sleep, following a day com mitted into Thy hands. Teach me the art of taking min ute vacations, of slowing down to . look at a flower, or to call or visit a shut-in, to pat a dog, to encourage a friend, or to thank a loved one or a neighbor. Remind me of the old fable of the tortoise and the hare, that 1 may know that the race is not always won by the sw ift of foot, but by the one who has his eye on the eternal re ward. Remind me that there is more to life than just increasing its speed. Help me to have a true sense of perspective that I may redeem the time, knowing that the days are evil!
"You cannot touch another's heart with anything less than your own."
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