All across the world, the Bible in printed form impacts lives in powerful ways. But blindness, visual impairment, or illiteracy leaves many people unable to read the written Word. Their access to God’s Word is often severely limited. Audio Bibles are a unique opportunity to reach the blind and illiterate with the precious Word of God.
We work with contacts and local churches across the Middle East and North Africa1 to provide audio Bibles for individuals unable to see or read well. These audio Bibles are in high demand!
Testimonies from recipients like Zain* show how the Word touches hearts. When Zain first received an audio Bible, he wasn’t interested in God’s Word. He hoped to use it to listen to music, which wasn’t possible since the audio units are limited to the Bible. “But when I started listening . . . ” he said, “the Word touched me seriously . . . I believe in Jesus. Thank you for giving me this audio Bible.”
For the blind and visually impaired, the ability to “read” God’s Word through audio Bibles is a precious gift. One blind recipient lovingly made a wooden case to protect his treasured audio Bible.
Kareema has poor eyesight. She loves the audio Bible she received and listens to four or five chapters every day, hoping to “read” through the whole Bible in one year. “I love having the Bible with me all day, and it makes all the difference,” she testifies.
Sometimes Kareema worries about going to church—how will she go with no one to guide her? Then she remembers the verse, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” And God always provides for her! “I see the Lord taking care of me like He takes care of the birds of the air,” she says. “If He takes care of the birds, of course He will take care of me . . . The whole Bible is precious to me.” Kareema longs for other visually-impaired people like her to also receive audio Bibles.
Illiteracy is an all-too-common problem in many parts of the world. At least 763 million adults worldwide are illiterate, according to the United Nations. Thousands of people can read and write a bit in their country’s official language, but are illiterate in their birth language. This means that they may be able to read the Bible but often struggle to grasp its full meaning. When they hear God’s Word in their mother tongue through audio Bibles, the impact is powerful.
“I don’t know how to read and even write,” shared a recipient, “but I thank God because . . . I can benefit from the Word of God through hearing it from [the audio Bible]. I appreciate so much that now, together with those who are writing and reading, I have the Word . . .”
One community leader said, “I . . . am so happy and excited with what you have brought to us . . . I believe that through listening to this audio Bible, it will change my life and my entire family. It’s so easy to understand because it’s translated in my own language.”
If you wish to help share God’s Word through the channel of audio Bibles, your support will be a great blessing! Please pray that the Word shared in this way would reach those who need it, change lives, and lift up Jesus’ name. “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever” (Isaiah 40:8).
1 Specific locations not named due to security concerns.
*Names in this article changed to protect identities.
If you wish to help bless the blind and illiterate with audio Bibles click the donate button to give a gift.
