The Forgotten Bible

A national lockdown began in Italy on March 10, 2020, in an effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus. As in most other countries around the globe, everybody had to stay at home. Everything was closed, even the churches.

During this time of uncertainty, Adventist women were at the forefront of finding ways to support many families who had relatives who had been hospitalized, and families who were grieving the loss of their loved ones without having been able to see them before they died.

Thanks to the use of modern technology, they used social media, chat apps, and their smartphones to help bring consolation to families in pain.

In all that suffering, prayer played a fundamental role, and God performed many miracles. Liboria’s experience in Sicily bears witness to this.

Liboria lives in Milan but had traveled with her husband to their second home in Sicily to visit relatives there. When the lockdown started, they had to remain in Sicily. Liboria is not an Adventist, but she knew Katia Montalbano, leader of the Women’s Ministries in Sicily, and joined her prayer group. They met online every afternoon to study the Bible and to pray. As Liboria did not have a Bible, she could not follow along with the group as they read from God’s Word. One day, after they had studied the parable of the hidden treasure, Liboria’s desire to have a Bible grew increasingly intense. But due to the lockdown, no one was allowed to leave their house. The next day, Liboria’s husband decided to fix the doorbell that had been broken for months, so he went to check the electric meter in the building where their apartment is to figure out what the fault was. To his surprise, he saw a Bible on top of the meter.

The Book was covered in dust. Overjoyed, he brought the Bible home to his wife. She could not believe her eyes. They talked to the administrator of the condominium and discovered that the Bible had been lying there for about three years.

Forgotten. He said they were free to keep it.

Liboria praised the Lord with a heart full of gratitude.

Now she could read and study the Bible with Katia’s prayer group.

God knows our needs, and He prepares His answer in advance, even when we do not yet know what our needs are.

Lina Ferrara