Reasons to believe in the power of the Bible
Rhesymau i gredu ym mhŵer y Beibl
'As a comedian, I sometimes wonder if I look for irony or it looks for me. Those ‘God-incidences’ (I wish that was a less clunky word) crop up so often, at times life sounds stranger than fiction.
On that wretched day at the start of this crisis – that moment when the penny dropped and the rug was pulled from our comfortable world – I turned to the Bible for comfort. I was (and still am) reading The One Year Chronological Bible, New Living Translation, but was a little behind. So, in mid-March, on the day of an effective lockdown, when my diary emptied and my mental health took its biggest tumble to date, I read that day’s extract: Leviticus 14 and 15...
It included such topical classics as Leviticus 14.38, in which a priest puts a house in quarantine for seven days. Then there was Leviticus 15.11: if you’re touched by that fella who’s not rinsed his hands, put a wash on and take a bath.
Thankfully I’m not just a comedian (comedy’s much-needed, but tricky sometimes, especially now all my gigs have moved online). Doing Radio 2’s Pause For Thought used to be my top-up job – now it’s my main income. Writing a ‘thought’ recently themed on angels, I heard that the angelic greeting, ‘Do not be afraid’ is the Bible’s most common instruction. Apparently, it features 365 times, one for every day of the year.
There may be a time for Levitical instruction: those hand-washing and quarantine tips are having their moment. But there’s a daily need to hear God’s main message, so crucial that angels utter it as often as we say, ‘Hello’: Don’t be afraid. We need to hear it, tell it and live it daily.'
Do you have a story to share? Email mybible@biblesociety.org.uk
Oes gennych chi stori i rannu? E-bostiwch mybible@biblesociety.org.uk
‘Before the coronavirus outbreak, I came out to New Zealand, because I’d won a two-month writing scholarship. I’d wanted to do this for years. I feel pretty safe here, but, now there’s the chance to get a flight home. If I don’t take it, I cou...’ Read story
‘I’m a music therapist, and my work has basically stopped. I haven’t worked for four or five weeks. I also have a lung condition – cystic fibrosis – so I’m shielding at the moment. It’s kind of weird. It’s strange to be told that you are...’ Read story
‘My obsession with the Bible really stems from a conversation that I had when I was 17. It was a car journey and I was being inquisitive. I wanted to know why it feels like God moves into a neighbourhood in a revival, for all of that passion and zeal ...’ Read story | Darllen y stori yn Gymraeg
‘A few weeks ago, I was travelling in the Milan area when the coronavirus struck. The Italian response was dramatic. We went from hearing rumours to the closure of all public buildings, schools and universities within 48 hours. I was actually in the P...’ Read story | Darllen y stori yn Gymraeg
‘I lost my brother in 2010. That was the year that I thought he’d get married. He came down with sickness. Apparently, he had a damaged liver, which he didn’t realise and that it had become cancerous and spread to other parts of his body. He went ...’ Read story
‘The job that brought me here, I really, really wanted. The desire for it was disproportionate. I’m from Northern Ireland and had been living in Oxford for two years. The situation there wasn’t particularly great, so at the time, I felt that this ...’ Read story
Load more storiesLlwytho mwy o straeon
Want to share how the Bible has impacted your life? Email mybible@biblesociety.org.uk
Hoffech rannu sut mae’r Beibl wedi cael effaith ar eich bywyd? E-bostiwch mybible@biblesociety.org.uk