The Story - Chapter 7

What’s your favorite Bible verse? For some it’s Psalm 23. Others John 3:16. Philippians 4:13 is a good one as well. Mine is Galatians 6:2. For Katie, a church member at a previous appointment, it was Joshua 1:9 (page 89-90 in The Story.)

Katie passed away early on in my time serving the church she attended, so I didn’t know much about her. But as I visited with her family, they shared a prayer card that was in her devotional bible with me. It says “Katie” up top and the word “pure” right below it. Below the word “pure” is the verse from Joshua. None of her children knew where she got it. I kept it in my Book of Worship (what I use at funerals) ever since.

As I prepared for her service I kept coming back to this prayer card in her bible. Because this is not a popular verse for many, I wondered how this scripture verse spoke to Katie over the years…

…I wondered if this verse spoke to her when she was growing up in Rose City, as one of nine siblings. Growing up and having one brother or sister is hard enough, but having eight others - vying for attention, getting a word in edgewise, or even an extra serving of food at the dinner table must have been a challenge! Did God’s words to Joshua, as one of the multitude walking for 40 years in the wilderness, to not be dismayed, not to be discouraged, speak to Katie to keep faith and find strength during her adolescent years?

…I wondered if these verses spoke to Katie during her young adult years. As a wife and a mother to three boys, did God’s words in Joshua speak to her differently then? While I am sure the three boys were angelic growing up...ahem...I wonder if this verse strengthened her and brought her courage as a mother and wife, leading and assisting her family as best she could to the promised lands that lay in her son’s futures.

…I wondered if this verse spoke to Katie as a charter member of the UMC church I served later in life with her, stepping out in faith to serve in a new place God was calling people to serve in. Katie was a woman of strong faith, finding opportunities to serve the church every time she could. She loved attending the local summer camp meeting and singing out of the old Cokesbury hymnbook, singing all the hymns in their “original” form! I wondered if God’s words to Joshua, comforting him as a leader by assuring him that God was with them wherever they went, if that comfort spoke to Katie as she stepped out in faith as a faith-filled person again and again in her life?      

…I wondered if the verse from Joshua spoke to Katie in the later years of her life. I wondered if Katie saw the situation Joshua was in, losing Moses after being with him in the wilderness, wandering the desert for many years together, sharing hundreds of joys and heartbreaks together, and knew how he felt after her husband died. I wonder if she found strength to lead her family into the future even without someone she so loved and cared for?

…I wondered if from God’s words in Joshua she found strength to even care for her family in the last few months, weeks and days of her life. Even in the last days of her life, she was caring for others - she had all her final plans in place, and she even helped design today’s worship, knowing full well that God was with her wherever she went, even in the valley of the shadow of death. I wonder how God’s words from Joshua spoke to Katie…

We all have a favorite verse/verses of scripture because the words written thousands of years ago still impact our lives in powerful ways today! Like Katie, I wonder how your favorite scripture carried you through meaningful parts of your life. I would love to hear your favorite verse and why it’s your favorite. BUT…I encourage you to share your favorite scripture with others (maybe with this blog post), and why it is meaningful to you.

I wonder how your favorite scripture can affect someone else’s life for God’s glory…kind of like Katie's favorite scripture does today.