Bible Reading Marathon back in Despatch for 3rd consecutive year

If you want to participate in this year’s Bible Reading Marathon which starts at the Despatch Cricket Club at 5am on Friday October 30 you should probably sprint to your phone now to reserve a 15 minute reading slot.

“All the reading slots were almost booked before the start of last year’s event. People were on a waiting list for a reading slot by the Sunday afternoon. This is such a great testimony to me of God’s faithfulness,” says Illona de Wit the founder of the event.

This year’s marathon, during which the Word of God will be read out loud continuosly from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22, will finish some time on the afternoon of Monday November 3, judging by the 2018 and 2019 events which took 86 hours and 10 minutes and 84 hours and five minutes respectively.

T0 book a reading slot you can call Illona at +27 73 350 699  or Elmarita at +27 72 357 2829.

Last year, before the first marathoner took off, Rene Alexis Pirie brought worship to the Lord on her guitar from 4.30am to 5am. “It was wonderful and such a beautiful way to start such a special event,” says Illona who was inspired to organise the initiative to magnify the Word of God publicly, to arouse interest in God’s Word and to encourage Christian believers to develop the habit of reading the Word for themselves.

During the course of last year’s marathon, the Bible was read out in Afrikaans, English and isiXhosa. At the end of the event those present shared communion together.

The brief testimonies below, from a few of last year’s participants, reflect some of the ways that people were moved by God’s Word and His Sprit as they read the Bible out aloud.

John David Metcalf:
Reading the Bible aloud is not strange to me as this was the way I learnt much of the Bible when I was a child. When I was 11-years-old my mother, younger brother and I, were living on a farm outside Uitenhage. As my father had passed away my mother was on a pension and we could not afford to run a car. The result of this was that we could not attend church as there were none nearby.
My mother made us read the Bible aloud every day: one Old Testament chapter, one Psalm and one New Testament chapter every day. I did most of the reading and in the space of 7 years, before we moved to Uitenhage, we had read the whole Bible, aloud, at least 3 times through. This grounding in the Word served my brother and me well. As we were left a wonderful legacy through the faith and steadfastness of my mother in insisting that the Word of the Lord be with us on a daily basis.
I hope this initiative grows and grows to encourage more Christians to always study the Word and read the Bible on a daily basis. God Bless.

Louise Arendt:
Altyd ‘n voorreg om deel te mag hê. Mag dit net van sterkte groei. ‘n Mens lees die Bybel en ontdek soveel dinge wat jy dalk gelees het, maar nou kry ‘n mens meer duidelikheid. Maar sjoe, die name in die Ou Testament is altyd tongknopers.

Anna Botha:
Dear friends, on Saturday I read 2 Kings 1 and onwards. It was about Elijah going up into heaven and Elisha taking his mantle. We need the mantle of the Holy Spirit in these last days. Today, Sunday, I read from the prophet Ezekiel. God’s anointing was all over me. God’s Word must be no.1! It has power to change lives.
God is looking for a man to stand in the gap for our nation.

Johann Engelbrecht:
“In die begin was die Woord, en die Woord was by God, en die Woord was self God.”
Wat ‘n wonderwerk om na Hervormingsondag te weet dat sy Woord steeds waaragtig WAAR is, dwaalleraars deur die eeue ten spyt!

Karien de Reuck:
I rarely believe that I am worthy of being God’s child. The reading of the Word renews my belief that God loves me through all my transgressions. This also gives me hope for the future of our land and our life. This year I have done something horrible and today in my reading God has reminded me that I am forgiven and that I should not sin anymore. Thank you to God and the people God used to make these moments possible.

Anonymous:
It is amazing how our God works. The section that I read was so appropriate to my work situation that, “No weapon formed against me will prosper.”
Thank you Lord Jesus for your confirmation and comfort.

Brandon Wicks:
Vanoggend het ek die begeerte gehad om Jesaja te lees. Toe ek vanoggend begin toe lees ek in Jesaja. Ek glo dit was God se plan vir my om dit te lees.

Anonymous:
I felt such a presence when I walked into the hall. It was such a peaceful atmosphere. I truly believe that God has a big plan for the Bible Reading Marathon. Everything that I have read was a confirmation from God. God really spoke to me during the Bible Reading Marathon.

Anoniem:
Terwyl ek gelees het, het ek net weer opnuut besef hoe belangerik dit is om die WAARHEID van die Evangelie te versprei… nie afgewater nie, maar die volle waarheid.

Emily Goeda:
Terwyl ek Maandag so in Romeine gelees het, moes ek my trane sluk, want ek het net gevoel die skrif is vir my. Dis asof die Here direk met my praat. Dit het gevoel asof ‘n dolk in my hart steek. Ek het in die badkamer gaan huil. Die lees van die Bybel het iets in my wakker gemaak. Ek kan dit nie beskryf nie.

Grace Galuszynski:
At one point during my reading, my eyes became blurry and I wasn’t sure how I would continue to read the words, but I somehow continued to read clearly and calmly. One of the passages that I read at that blurry-eyed time was Jeremiah 29:4-7 – about growing where you’re planted and seeking/praying for peace for the foreign land so that it may be your peace. A passage that I received when I was interpreting a dream earlier in the year (according to Scripture).
It was an amazing reminder and experience of blurred vision becoming clearer as I was lead to focus on God’s promises.

Sanet van Dyk
As I was reading about the Spirit of God coming into the temple filling it with the glory cloud… the Holy Spirit came upon me and I started crying. And the Lord started speaking to me through the section I was reading and God just touch my heart and spoke to me about the purpose he has with my life and that me and Tinus were part of building the temple physically and spiritually…
It was so relevant of what is in our hearts, because sometimes the devil just wants to steal your focus and dreams, and that was what God started restoring this morning in our hearts. So we are so touched by what God did this morning while we were reading the part where Solomon started building the temple and bringing the Arc back into the sanctuary.
It is awesome how God speaks to us through the section we are supposed to read. So come with expectancy that God is going to speak to you and touch you, while you’re reading.