In times of great anxiety, we often look to resources such as science, philosophy, friends and family, and benevolent corporations and governments to guide and support us.  

But in a very real sense, these are not enough. There must be some higher authority to give meaning to our trouble, to give us reliable hope that there is an end to suffering. 

Certainly, science is winning significant battles. And certainly, our family, friends, communities and governments are very practical, effective, and essential in our healing. But when we are all caught in the storm together, we need guidance and hope above the storm itself.  We need saving. 

Christianity is About Jesus

Christianity is belief in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, saving us from the death-punishment of our rebellion against God. Christ achieved our salvation through the sinless sacrifice of his death upon a Roman cross and his Resurrection from the dead. He won for us the sure promise of eternal life and restoration with our Heavenly Father (John 3 :16, 17). 

This belief is founded on the written record of the Holy Bible. God’s acts in the history of mankind, from Creation to Re-creation, recorded for our hope in the one central Person of Jesus Christ. God’s Word, from beginning to end, is all about Christ and our salvation. 

In times of distress, belief systems alone cannot meet the soul’s deepest anxieties– fear of abandonment, fear of suffering and pain, fear of punishment, fear of meaninglessness, fear of death. No belief system brings a sure hope. The rituals and systems of world religions destablize in times of dire need. One hopes, but is never sure that hope is founded.  

That is because there is no real, personal Confirmer.  

In Christianity, however, we serve a living Creator-God—made real and personal through the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ, and experienced through the power and indwelling of His Holy Spirit. Only Christianity confirms the truth of its own message through the Person who gave it: Christ our Living Hope. The world may debate, but the person who truly is looking for Truth will find confirmation in his own soul as he reads God’s Word. He will find Christ.

How do I know this?

First, God has promised it:

Deuteronomy 4:29 – But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Proverbs 8:17 – I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.

Jeremiah 29:13 – You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Matthew 7:7 and Luke 11:9 – Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

Acts 17:24-28 – The God who made the world and all that is in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’

Second, I have experienced the truth of the promise. There is an uncommon peace and stability that has guarded me through all of life’s strenuous trials. Trial and suffering are a part of this life. Suffering, fear and grief are deeply painful and disturbing. There are no assurances in this life. But in Christ, the final fear is resolved; the soul finds peace in the knowledge of a mighty, Sovereign God made personal and accessible through the mercy of His Son’s sacrifice, and the promise of life neverending. Because I have experienced the truth of God’s Word, I believe God’s Word.

The Holy Bible: God’s Word

We all seek the answer to the our deepest questions: 

1.  Of all the powers we see acting in this world, who has supreme authority? Who reigns above all?

2.  Who can take away the shame that I feel and replace that shame with honor? 

3.  Who can forgive me of all that I am and have done and still do? 

4.  Who will accept me? To whom do I belong?  Where is home?  

If these questions are plaguing you, I encourage you to search for Jesus.  The Bible is God’s own Word, written down by His servants and protected from pollution in its message throughout history. Read with an open heart, not a heart filled with debates and pessimism, but with a heart that truly wants to know truth.

Do you believe God can and will answer you?  Are you willing for Him to meet with you? 

Where to begin?  

First, talk with someone! You can immediately go to PeaceWithGod.net and read the essential truths about Jesus Christ. Chat with or email an online coach who will help point you in the right direction for the answers to these questions.

Second, begin reading the Bible. Below are some helpful places to get you started, even if you don’t currently own a Bible.

A  free NIV Bible app for both iPhone/iPad and Android can be found at Biblica.com. At this link, find downloadable Bible reading plans by topic, or you can find reading plans for:

• 365-day plan for reading the entire Bible,
• a 60-day overview of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, or
• a 30-day reading plan about the Life of Jesus.
• For more help, please see their article: “Where Should I Start Reading the Bible?”.

You can also download a free audio Bible app or read with a free Bible app at BibleGateway.com.   

Take a free, cumulative 16-hour, self-study Christianity Explored course online studying the Gospel of Mark at BibleMesh.com. View videos for each of the 7 sessions and answer the questions on your own with 24/7 open access for 12 months.  

Or take the free Christianity Explored course online with a Christian coach who will respond to your questions at GoingFarther.net (Billy Graham Evangelistic Association).  GoingFarther.net also offers two other free online courses: “Know Jesus” and “Living With Christ”.

In our next post, we will look at Psalm 119, specifically, to see the benefits of God’s Word. Does the Bible answer those crucial questions?  

© 2020 by ReadPsalm119.com.  All images are by ReadPsalm119.com, “Garden of the Gods” series, 2019.

• Thanks to BibleStudyTools.com.