By Ricky Smith

For a few years in my career, I traveled a lot for work as I consulted with churches across the state of Georgia. On average, I did not sleep in my own bed for about 125 nights in a year. That being said, I became very familiar with hotel rooms. While many of the benefits lost their luster, I never take for granted the beauty of the Gideon Bible often found next to the bed.

I don’t work for Gideons International and am not being paid for this post. For me, the story of a Gideon Bible plays a role in the inheritance of faith for my family. In the early ’70s, my dad was caught in a trailer fire and endured third-degree burns on his left. While lying in a hospital bed for weeks, he noticed the Gideon Bible next to his bed and began to read. That strategically placed book opened his eyes, and in the hospital is when my dad trusted his life to Christ.

A few years later, I was born and have been blessed to be reared in a God-fearing home. For us, the Gideon Bible story is a reference point to God’s sovereign plan. I never see one in a hotel, hospital, or campus without sensing joy at the impact on my life. While it certainly can be motivation to support ministries like Gideons International, it is more motivating to look back for banners of God’s intervening grace. This landmark joins many others to remind me of my dependency on the Savior.

This concept resembles the declaration of Moses in Exodus 17. After witnessing God as the Mighty Warrior who defeated the Amalekites, we read, “And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The Lord Is My Banner, saying, “A hand upon the throne of the Lord! The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”

Moses recognized the need to point to times in our life where God has moved and to identify His character in those moments. His unchanging nature can be relied on by future generations! For you, it may not be a Gideon Bible. What are some of those markers that you can point to? Write them down, tell those stories, and remember the goodness of the Lord!