Bibleless Brothers and Sisters

            Can you imagine what it would be like to be a Christian without a Bible?  Thousands of Christians around the world don’t have to imagine; Bibles are either illegal or incredibly difficult to get in their countries.  They don’t have the benefit of feeding off of God’s Word every day; they can’t grab their Bibles and look up a verse whenever they’re unsure about something.  This really startled me today as I was reading the newest copy of Voice of the Martyr’s magazine.  I knew that there was a shortage of Bibles in many foreign countries, but I had never thought about how much that would impact the individual lives of believers trying to live for God.

            The story shared about Christians in Iran, where getting a Bible is not illegal, but is very difficult.  Some Iranians write down all the Bible verses on a Christian TV program and create a little verse book for themselves.  Others find a rare, uncensored internet Bible and print it out in sections to circulate among their friends.  Still others memorize from a friend’s Bible or hand-copy sections that they want to read.  Would we go to such lengths to read the Word of God? I think we too often take for granted the fact that we have God’s letter to us, in complete form, in dozens of English translations, for use whenever we want or need it.  Many Christians do not have that luxury.  They must search long and hard to find encouragement from the Bible.  So, this week as you are reading your Bible, remember to thank God for it and to pray for our brothers and sisters around the world who do not have a Bible.

If you’re interested in Voice of the Martyrs’ ministries (they smuggle a lot of Bibles into closed countries), check out their website: www.persecution.com.