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O, Give Me that Book!
Listen to today’s devo!
May those who fear you rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in your word. (Ps. 119:74)
Expanded Passage: Psalm 119:73-80
My grandfather suffered from iritis, a painful inflammation of the eyes which made them extremely sensitive to light. For an extended period of time, he had to lie in total darkness. Bandages covered his eyes, shades were pulled, and quilts were hung over the windows to prevent even the smallest glimmer of light from entering his room.
That meant he couldn’t read his Bible, of course, but family members sitting in the hallway outside his room would read it to him through the closed door. When no one was reading it, he held it firmly in his hands, and when sleeping he placed it under his pillow.
Bibliolatry? Worshiping the Word? No, not at all. He had met his Lord on those pages, and its truth was the basis of his hope, both in this world and in the world to come. Contrary to appearances, his room wasn’t dark at all. It was filled with a light no one could see.
John Wesley said it well. “I want to know one thing—the way to heaven. God himself has written it down in a book. O, give me that book! At any price, give me the book of God!”
In an age which many find increasingly hopeless, there is hope in the Christ who can be met on the pages of that book.
Read the Word, not just out of habit, but in hope.
Bob Black is a third-generation Wesleyan minister and professor emeritus of religion at Southern Wesleyan University (SC).
© 2026 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
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By The Wesleyan Church
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Listen to today’s devo!
May those who fear you rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in your word. (Ps. 119:74)
Expanded Passage: Psalm 119:73-80
My grandfather suffered from iritis, a painful inflammation of the eyes which made them extremely sensitive to light. For an extended period of time, he had to lie in total darkness. Bandages covered his eyes, shades were pulled, and quilts were hung over the windows to prevent even the smallest glimmer of light from entering his room.
That meant he couldn’t read his Bible, of course, but family members sitting in the hallway outside his room would read it to him through the closed door. When no one was reading it, he held it firmly in his hands, and when sleeping he placed it under his pillow.
Bibliolatry? Worshiping the Word? No, not at all. He had met his Lord on those pages, and its truth was the basis of his hope, both in this world and in the world to come. Contrary to appearances, his room wasn’t dark at all. It was filled with a light no one could see.
John Wesley said it well. “I want to know one thing—the way to heaven. God himself has written it down in a book. O, give me that book! At any price, give me the book of God!”
In an age which many find increasingly hopeless, there is hope in the Christ who can be met on the pages of that book.
Read the Word, not just out of habit, but in hope.
Bob Black is a third-generation Wesleyan minister and professor emeritus of religion at Southern Wesleyan University (SC).
© 2026 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.