Turning Back the Pages

The Lord said, "My word . . . shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it."

Isaiah 55:11 (NRSV)

I have reverted to an older copy of the Bible for my morning reading because the one I was using had become even more dilapidated than its predecessor. I come across notes I wrote in the margin several years ago and recall the circumstances that prompted them.
Most striking is to see how prayers for a loved one have been answered, how verses with a special relevance for a specific situation are meaningful now in a different context, and how God has led and provided for me in ways I couldn't have imagined at the time I prayed about some need.
This is the wonder of God's inspired message; it is relevant to human life in every generation. God knows the details of our lives long before events happen, but the path becomes clear to us only with time. Keeping a prayer diary or making notes enables us to look back and to see what has happened, rather than moving on without noticing what God has done.
Now I add fresh notes and dates in the margin of my Bible. I anticipate reading them in years to come and seeing God's hand at work.