The Blue Book

I want to share a beautiful book with you. I think you’ll enjoy the lovely illustrations, and you might also like hearing how this book impacted my life. The book is titled “The Beautiful Tree of Life,” and I found it in a used book store in Budapest in 2005. 

I bought this book because of its title, 1891 copyright, vintage cover, and winsome illustrations.

Since that time I’ve used the book on bookshelves and in décor arrangements throughout my home.

In fact, I've used it in three different homes—first in Budapest where we were living and doing Christian work, and two homes since returning to the States.

It’s been a “world-traveling” book, and I’ve not kept any special track of it.

But Someone has been keeping track of it.

You see, one day last week I took it off a bookshelf to use in my mantle décor.

A morning later, I woke up sad and discouraged. There are a million reasons I should be thankful, but there’s one situation in my life that grieves me terribly—something over which I have no control—and I can get discouraged at times, very discouraged.

As I was praying (a little hopelessly) about this situation, my eyes were drawn to “The Beautiful Tree of Life” sitting in a little suitcase on my hearth, and I noticed a small piece of paper sticking above one of its pages.

On closer examination, I found the paper marking a page with this text:

“God Makes No Mistakes. If God sends you tribulation you can get out of despondency simply by being patient under suffering, and you can be patient under it because you know God means the best for you, even though what he does toward you is quite painful..."

"In that comforting twelfth chapter of the Epistle of the Hebrews we are specially assured that God makes no mistakes in the chastening tribulation which he sends to us..." (see note at bottom)

Afterward it shall work out the peaceable fruit of righteousness. Thus assured we can be patient; and before a faith which will keep looking steadily toward the shining end despondency must flee.” 

Tears rolled down my cheeks when I read this “word from the Lord” specifically for me in that moment of my day…that moment of my life.
   

If anyone tells you that God doesn’t speak to us specifically anymore, please don’t believe them.

God wants to speak truth into our lives, 

and He will use a number of ways to do that.

• An obscure author from the 1800’s
• A series of events that brought an English book to a used book store in Budapest
• My attraction to a vintage cover
• A marker left years earlier on a particular page
• My decision to use a book on my mantle where it caught my eye one morning when I was feeling low

Coincidence?

If so, then we serve a God of “coincidences”—a God who wants to speak to us, assure us, rebuke us, train and instruct us. And the wonderful thing is that we don't need to collect vintage books to make it happen. All we need to do is open our Bible!

Note: God does sometimes send tribulation and chastening as part of His loving discipline, but sometimes we suffer from situations over which we have no control. God allows these situations, but He promises to be with us, comfort us, and refine our faith as we depend on Him. See 2 Corinthians 1:2-5, Hebrews 12:1-13, Romans 8:28, and 1 Peter 1:3-7.

 

I'm so glad you visited Bible Love Notes, and I'd love to have you check out my home page where I write one-minute devotions. 

Gail 

Update: When I first started Bible Love Notes, I did extra posts like these to share on social media. They were not sent to subscribers since Bible Love Notes is based on one-minute devotions.