Bible Briefs

J O H N   W.   M O O R E IN SEARCH OF AN ANSWER It seems as though our community has had its share of tragedy and suffering over the last few years. Once again this past week, more lives were tragically taken from this world and we are left behind wondering why and how it could happen. In some ways it seems easier when we lose a loved one who has lived a long and meaningful life, but the death of the young and the tragic illness of others who are ravaged by disease and sickness is almost unbearable. In desperation we seek answers. In grief we try to explain. Yet under certain circumstances we come up empty. We still find ourselves suffering from the pain and misery that accompanies our tragedy. We realize that we do not have all the answers. We cry out to God hoping for the vindication of our cause. We prostrate ourselves before his throne and beg for an explanation. During these times of bewilderment we must not fail to remember that God has already given us an answer to our questions. His powerful and all sufficient word has for thousands of years been the light in the trials of darkness. While those answers may not always be specific to our own personal plight, or even tangible to our own human understanding, they are still unequivocally there. Those answers may not always be to our liking or satisfaction, but they are nevertheless present. Sometimes these answers are specific, and sometimes they are general, but we can rest assured that there is an answer. The New Testament reveals that one of those answers came in the person of Jesus the Prince of Peace. Through Jesus we come to realize what is most important and what is to be truly valued. We come to realize that in Him we can have the ultimate victory over disease, pain, suffering, and even death. Through Jesus we come to know that God cares, God knows, and God understands. Jesus himself was a man acquainted with grief and sorrow. He understands. He cares. He loves. He even died that we might live beyond this temporal existence. He came to show us the true meaning of life and to bring hope to us in death. He is our peace and the rock of our salvation. According to Philippians 4:8, it is through Jesus that we can obtain a peace that passes all understanding and a peace to guard our hearts and minds. In Jesus we will find rest for our troubled souls and serenity for our languishing hearts. Truly, Jesus is the answer.