Give Me the Bible
Have you ever purchased a new vehicle and suddenly began to see the same make and model everywhere, though you were oblivious to it before your purchase? Perhaps you never noticed silver mid-sized SUVs on the road until you picked one out yourself to drive. Now, they are ubiquitous. Or, maybe, you learn a new phrase or word that you were previously unaware of, and then this new word is showing up with surprising frequency. An online search might give you a possible term for this phenomenon, but it has been happening to me throughout my life with a particular hymn.
The most recent occurrence was while attending a ladies’ event. Part way through the day, we were encouraged to participate in a craft activity making use of pages torn from old hymnals. There were stacks of song sheets nearby, and as I picked up the nearest pile to examine the options, the title of the page on top jumped out. Without hesitation, I selected the uppermost sheet without even glancing at the other choices.
The song which had so definitely caught my eye is entitled, “Give Me the Bible.” It is a hymn that embodies the sentiment of Psalm 119:105 – ''Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (ESV) – and was written some time in the late 1880s by Priscilla J. Owens and E. S. Lorenz. The words to the tune emphasize the importance of Scripture as our means of illumination for our steps along the passage of life.
Although there are many hymns with significance for my life, this song in particular remains steadfast in my mind as an anthem. Hearing it, or even seeing the title, instantly transports me back in time to a small children’s Bible school classroom in a little, white church building down a country road in rural Tennessee. The year I made the decision to give my life to Christ in baptism, my Bible class sang this song at the beginning of each class period. I remember the teacher reading the words to us each week and reminding us why we sang the song every session. That hymn evokes the tenderest and deepest emotions for me and paved the way for embedding God’s word in my heart. I may spend long stretches of time without hearing or seeing it. Then, all of a sudden, it will be everywhere once again with a flurry of frequency for a short period.
Regardless of the way the mind works to suddenly take notice of the persistent showing of something that was always there, the words of this hymn radiate truth like light from a lighthouse. Reading the verses, several action verbs describe the Bible: it gleams, cheers, beams, enlightens, teaches, brightens, shows, holds up, shines, and guides. How brilliantly does the word of God glow!
Picking up the page torn from a discarded hymnal, I lovingly trimmed the frayed edges with decorative shears before adhering it to a canvas to hang on a wall as a daily reminder. The words of Scripture, this “star of gladness gleaming,” is a balm to the wanderer. It is a light no storm can hide or extinguish.
The second verse of the song takes on greater significance with age and life experience:
Give me the Bible when my heart is broken,
When sin and grief have filled my soul with fear;
Give me the precious words by Jesus spoken,
Hold up faith’s lamp to show my Savior near.
In the midst of the pain that inevitably comes from living in the world, may the truth of this hymn’s words make its presence known over and over again. Perhaps you too could benefit from displaying the lyrics to read or sing every now and again. Regardless, more significant than the newly acquired item that suddenly becomes a constant in our lives, is the need for a continual reminder of the importance of using the “lamp of light immortal” to light our path daily.
