Thought and Prayer of the Day
by Jacky Bramma
April 24, 2025
The first printed edition of the Bible was published in the mid-1450s. Incredibly, in modern times it continues to hold the number one spot on the best-sellers list, with the works of Shakespeare in second place. I was surprised to discover recently that the mystery novels of Agatha Christie are in third place. I have always loved a good old-fashioned mystery story (as opposed to the nail-biting blood-drenched gritty police shows so prevalent today, with their hordes of foul-mouthed criminals and police officers who have their own demons.)
My favourite Christie character has to be Hercule Poirot (Belgian, and definitely not French!) who appeared in more than thirty-three novels. a fussy, idiosyncratic little private detective who drank herbal tea and always urged his rather hapless assistant Captain Hastings to use his “leetle grey cells, mon ami.” His signature black waxed moustache completed the picture.
The BBC dramatization of thirteen of the Poirot stories, 70 episodes in all, ran from 1989 to 2013, with David Suchet in the title role. He took the role very seriously and told one interviewer that when he was filming and wearing the moustache, he was Poirot… except at lunch time, when he took it off and became David Suchet again.
I have always admired David Suchet’s skill, and his voice that truly soothes the soul. I was delighted to discover recently that his first major project after Poirot was to record the entire NIV version of the Bible. He became a baptized Anglican in 1986, and this work was not just another role, but a true act of devotion…82 hours long. When I purchased this audio book, I was amazed that my phone was able to download it without exploding!
My Lenten practice has been to listen to it on my daily walks as well as quiet times at home. Yes, I started with Genesis, and so far I have journeyed from the Garden of Eden to the Ark, and on to Egypt with Moses. I travelled through the wilderness with the Israelites and witnessed their disobedience and subsequent repentance and forgiveness by God, only to mess up yet again. There were many strange names of people and places, such as the account of the defeat of King Og at Edrei, or the list of the towns of Judah in Joshua 15, beginning Kabzeel, Eder and Jagur. Even the long and very precise instructions God gave for the making of the Ark of the Covenant, or the sewing of priestly robes were far from boring when read so beautifully, (although I confess to some fast-forwarding through the thousands of laws in Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy!). It was certainly a relief to finally cross the River Jordan with Joshua into the Promised Land.
The seemingly endless cycle of the Israelites’ disobedience, their repentance, God’s forgiveness, and their sinning again is frustrating at best. There are so many fierce battles, so much violence and slaughter, that it is difficult to listen to at times: but all this really serves to remind the reader of God’s infinite love for his children. I still have a lot of listening to do before I get to the arrival of Jesus. This is a journey which requires patience, which is hard when you know where the story is heading. And so, my pilgrimage continues. Most importantly, this has served as a reminder that, just as we love to hear stories from our own family’s past, the New Testament can only be fully appreciated against the background of the Old.
PRAYER of St Anselm:
O Lord our God, grant us grace to desire you with our whole heart, that so desiring we may seek and find you, and so finding you may love you, and loving you, may hate those sins for which you have redeemed us. Amen
