Many years ago, country singer Tex Ritter sang song about a soldier who didn’t have a Bible to read, so he always pulled out a deck of cards to serve as his Bible. I heard this story back when I was in the Army but my wife was unfamiliar with it. So she thought it would be a good Memorial Day tribute to our troops and I agree. So here it is, I hope you enjoy it.

One Sunday, he and some of his fellow soldiers went to the chapel to attend the Sunday morning service. When the minister asked everyone to take out their Bibles, this young lad didn’t have a Bible, so he pulled out a deck of cards. Later, a sergeant asked him how he could say that his deck of cards was his Bible. Here’s what the young soldier told him:

“You see, Sir, when I look at the Ace it reminds me that there is but one God. The two reminds me that the Bible is divided into two parts; the Old and New Testaments. And when I see the three I think of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. When I see the four I think of the four evangelist who preached the Gospel. There was Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. And when I see the five it reminds me of the five wise virgins who trimmed their lamps. Ten of ’em; five who were wise and were saved; five were foolish and were shut out. And when I see the six it reminds me that in six days God made this great heaven and earth. And when I see the seven it reminds me that on the seventh day God rested from His great work.”

“When I see the eight I think of the eight righteous persons God saved when he destroyed this earth. There was Noah, his wife, their three sons, and their wives. And when I see the nine I think of the lepers our Savior cleansed , and nine of the ten didn’t even thank Him. When I see the ten I think of the Ten Commandments God handed down to Moses on a tablet of stone. When I see the King it reminds me that there is but one King of Heaven, God Almighty. And when I see the queen I think of the Blessed Virgin Mary who is Queen of Heaven. And the jacks, it’s the devil. And when I count the number of spots on a deck of cards I find three hundred sixty-five the number of days in a year. Fifty-two cards, the number of weeks in a year. Four suits, the number of weeks in a month. Twelve picture cards, the number of months in a year. Thirteen combinations, the number of weeks in a quarter. So you see, Sir, my pack of cards serve me as a Bible, almanac, and prayer book.”

So we don’t always need a Bible to remind us of our great God and His presence with us here on earth. There are many things that can make us aware that He left a lot of evidence that He is in us and all around us. The stars in the sky reminded David the shepherd boy of God’s wondrous handiwork. So do the mountains, valleys, oceans and seas. But there is no better evidence that we can have than God’s Spirit living in our hearts. As the blind man in the Bible told the Pharisees that he was healed in an instant, the former blind man said he wasn’t sure exactly who it was that healed him, all he knows is that once he was blind, but now he could see. – Dr. Robert R Seyda