The picture here illustrates the remarkable fact of how a soldier’s life was once saved by a Bible. It occurred on 30th September, 1916. Sergeant H— was situated in St. Julian Trench on the Somme front. Suddenly, a shot from a gun pierced the pocket of his tunic immediately over his heart. In the pocket was a small Bible, and page after page of the precious book was torn or scorched as the bullet forced its way through. Would it stop in time or would it go right through and touch the poor man’s heart? God’s merciful hand was over him, for right in the middle of the Bible the bullet finally came to rest. One inch more and he would have been killed, but the little Bible, under the good hand of God, had undoubtedly saved his life. But there was something even more remarkable than this, for the shot came to rest lying on the words, “It is I; be not afraid.”
In the picture, which shows the actual Bible and the actual bullet, just as it originally rested, you can read part of the verse. The reference, however, is not very clear, so you can easily read in another Bible the 20th verse of the 6th chapter of John’s Gospel.
This soldier knew the joy of having the Lord Jesus as his own personal Saviour before this event, but what a comfort and encouragement it must have been to him, amidst all the difficulties and dangers in which he was, to be reminded in so wonderful a way of the One who would always be with him and who would say, at such a time, “It is I; be not afraid.”
ML 12/31/1961