The story is told of an elderly woman whose memory was starting to fail her. Over the years she had read and studied the Bible so much that she knew many passages by heart. One of her favorites was from Paul's second letter to Timothy, which included the verse, "I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him."¹ As long as she held onto Jesus, He would not fail her.

As time went by, she found that she could no longer remember the whole verse—only the phrase "what I have committed to Him," which she quietly repeated to herself.

Then at last, as she hovered between this world and the next, the attending doctor noticed her lips moving and bent down to see if she needed anything. She was repeating over and over the one word of the text she remembered. "Him. ... Him. ... Him." She had lost the whole Bible except that one word, but in that one word she had the whole Bible and her faith intact.

There is a wonderful place of peace that we too can reach if we can concentrate solely on Jesus. Find a quiet, comfortable spot and try this spiritual exercise:

Close your eyes. Imagine Jesus bending over you like the doctor in the story above. He is listening to your faintest whispers. Now say His name. Slowly repeat it several times. He is there with you, and He is all you care about. This is not the time for a lengthy prayer listing your problems and needs and describing them in detail. It's a time of simple trust, as you focus your attention on Jesus and Him alone. In these moments you can discover the truth of the Bible promise, "You [Jesus] will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You."²

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If you haven't met the friend who will love you through thick and thin, the One who holds the keys to overcoming and happiness and joy and eternal life, you can right now by sincerely praying a prayer like the following:

Dear Jesus, thank You for dying for me so that all my mistakes and wrongs can be forgiven. I open the door of my heart and invite You in. Give me Your gift of eternal life, and be my nearest, dearest, truest friend. Amen.

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1. 2 Timothy 1:12
2. Isaiah 26:3