About 15 years ago, Paul Daugherty lost the “old messy scribbled-in Bible” he’d used throughout middle and high school. Last weekend, it resurfaced at Victory, the megachurch Daugherty now leads in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
On his Facebook page, Daugherty posts a photo with a man named Clayton holding a large, dog-eared book. In the caption, titled “Crazy Story,” the pastor describes an encounter he says shows the power of God’s Word.
Paul Daugherty’s Lost Bible Finds a New Home
Daugherty’s old Bible ended up at a shelter, where Clayton found it about a decade ago. “Paul Daugherty” was written on the cover, but Clayton didn’t know who that person was.
Throughout the years, Clayton occasionally read from that Bible, and “he treasured those little scribbled thoughts and notes as much as the Bible verses,” Daugherty writes. “He surrendered his life to Christ recently and broke free of a lot of stuff.”
When Clayton came to worship at Victory Church last weekend, he showed the book to Daugherty. The pastor soon realized it was the Bible he’d lost 15 years ago. “God used my old messy scribbled-in Bible to save this guy’s life who now is saved, set free, and brought his whole family with kids to church tonight!” the pastor writes on Facebook. “The Word is alive and powerful!”
Story of God’s Mysterious Ways Resonates With People
More than 13,000 people have already “liked” Daugherty’s post from January 8. Many have commented about God’s mysterious, behind-the-scenes workings in people’s lives and hearts. “Our ways are not His ways!” one writes. “God never ceases to amaze me.”
Another person notes, “God will always find a way to reach someone who needs Him and is searching.” And someone comments, “Another example to show why I don’t believe in coincidences—too good and too perfectly planned to just happen.”
Some people on social media are sharing their own stories of losing a beloved Bible—and hoping it has found its way to someone who needs God’s good news.
