A Prayer of Praise for Worn Out Bibles
By Meg Bucher
“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12
The fresh pages of my NIV Bible stuck together as I looked up verse after verse at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes meeting I was attending. The rush to keep up with flipping pages and finding verses intimidated me. I was familiar with the Bible from Catholic school, but I never imagined highlighting or writing in it! Surrounding me were students with worn-in Bibles, and I longed to have what they had.
Little did I know the journey I was praying for was already underway. Twenty years later, my NIV is worn and very often hugged close to my heart. It’s highlighted and written in, marked and bent, wrinkled, cried on, laughed with, and loved. It’s covered to protect the binding from splitting apart. It’s my life in that book.
I now have what I admired in my friends all those years ago I live in this book, with this book, and by this book. Like our verse in Hebrews says, God’s word to me is “alive and active.”
I have witnessed life, and it has forever changed mine. The other half of Hebrews 4:12 says, “Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
Sharper. God’s Word is a weapon, and we need it! There is a very real enemy after us, who hates the sound of Scripture. It’s truth, and he doesn’t like the truth, because he’s on the losing end of it.
Judges the heart. Jesus died for us before we existed. He is the Word, and the Word knows us. Knows our hearts. Knows our tendencies, denials, and flaws. The things we don’t tell anyone else about, He knows. And the answers to all of the questions we can’t ask anyone else about are in his Word.
Father, we praise You for worn out Bibles and brand new stuck together pages! Thank You for marking each part of Your Word with such special clarity to each individual life. We confess that we pass by Your Word for human wisdom so often, and pray that You refocus our hearts to Your highlights. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Meg Bucher writes about everyday life within the love of Christ. She stepped out of her comfort zone, and her Marketing career, to obey God’s call to stay home and be “Mom” in 2011. From that step of obedience her blog, Sunny&80, was born, a way to retain the funny everyday moments of motherhood. Meg is also a freelance writer and author of “Friends with Everyone.” She loves teaching God’s Word and leading weekly Bible study, being a mom, distance running and photography. Meg resides in Northern Ohio with her husband, two daughters, and Golden-Doodle… all avid Cleveland Browns fans.
Related Resource: Starting 2026 with Intention: Confidence, Diligence, and God’s Direction
As we begin a brand-new year, I want to help you slow down and listen for God’s invitation in your life. In this episode, we kick off our One Word 2026 series — a simple, prayerful way to reflect on where you’ve been and discern how God may be inviting you to grow in the year ahead.
I introduce the heart behind choosing a spiritual “one word,” not as a goal to achieve, but as a posture to receive. We explore two of the six words I’ll be offering this month — confidence and diligence — and look at how Scripture invites us to grow, not by relying on our own strength, but by trusting God’s faithfulness over time.
This episode is part of our How to Study the Bible Podcast, a show that brings life back to reading the Bible and helps you understand even the hardest parts of Scripture. If this episode helps you know and love God more, be sure to subscribe to the How to Study the Bible Podcast on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
