Photo from Lauren Danielle Jackson’s Facebook Post

Bible Found Open to Inspiring Page in Tornado Aftermath

On Tuesday, March 3rd, several deadly tornadoes touched down in Tennessee, tearing through homes and businesses with winds up to 175mph. One especially violent tornado touched down around 1:50am, wreaking havoc on the city of Cookeville.

In the days following the natural disaster, local volunteers came together to help with clean up efforts. Two of those volunteers were Jorja Gust and Lauren Jackson, Tennessee Tech students who wanted to do what they could to serve Cookeville after the devastation. 

“These places seemed like there was no hope,” Gust wrote in a Facebook post on Wednesday. “Everything was gone. Tears filled my eyes as I found pictures of the families that once lived there buried under rubble and dry wall.”

Yet, in a place that seemed devoid of hope, Gust and Jackson found an unexpected source of comfort. 

“I was about to grab another piece of dry wall I saw something that caught my eye,” said Jackson. “It was part of a verse buried on the floor. I immediately picked it up because I had to know what it said. It was already opened on this page and read, “Do not be afraid— for I will be with you.”

It was a Bible, lying open to a passage from Jeremiah 46. Though a little dirty, the Bible was practically untouched by the tornado. 

The two students took the relevant passage to be a message from God. “The main point was Cookeville will again have peace and security,” Gust said in an interview with local reporters. “And I felt like that’s what everyone needed to hear.”

Even in the wake of such a destructive natural disaster, others have found hope through the message of the preserved Bible. Jackson’s Facebook post about the incident has garnered over 8k shares and 4k likes. 

For Gust and Jackson, it’s not about the likes, but letting their friends know that “God is good.” Through the Bible, God seemed to speak to the people affected by the tornado, offering words of comfort and hope.