He spoke to the prophets of the nation of Israel who lived three millennia ago (Heb. 1:2). He spoke to the apostles who walked the dusty paths with our Savior. They had the immense joy of receiving divine revelation for their lives, a compass to guide them through the storms they faced. How blessed they were! TRUE?
We, too, face storms that cloud our vision. We also feel lost in this vast and noisy world. We need guidance, but not an outdated, stale guide—not an expired or obsolete map.
We are living through some of the most complex crises in history. Disease is followed by war, crisis, and famine. Despair floods our existence with no escape in sight. In such times, we don’t need past hopes or cautionary tales. We don’t need someone to tell us not to worry and look away when tears prevent us from closing our eyes. In this era, we need to be like the prophets and apostles of old. We need a God who speaks to us in our time, in our place, in our language. We need a Savior close by, a hand outstretched and within our reach.
In the past, God spoke (Rom. 15:4). But does God still speak in our time? Could it be that we are following a dead religion? Are we seeking answers to the most current questions in an obsolete book? Some parts of the Bible are 35 centuries old. How can we hear the voice of God amid the storms of 21st-century life through such ancient writings?
Maybe you ask yourself these questions. Perhaps you are going through a storm in your life, a dark valley, and you see no hope around you. Well, I have wonderful news for you.
God is not silent. He never has been. The Creator of the stars remains our guide in the darkest night. The King of the world continues to give himself to the humble (James 4:6). The supreme Judge continues to grant mercy freely. Even in your situation. Yes, even you. Even me (2 Chr. 30:9; Heb. 4:16).
God continues to speak, and He does so with the same voice as always. Through the Holy Spirit, He ensured we have the perfect guide for our lives—the Bible. It remains His Word, His voice, our North Star (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:20-21).
By opening our Bibles, we find the message God has for us. By studying His words, we learn more about the Lord of our circumstances. By understanding His message, we discover who we are, where we come from, and where we are going.
If we look at it properly, we see that hearing God’s authentic voice in the Bible and its stories is incredibly relevant to our time and situation. If God truly continues to communicate through His Word, there is no more practical exercise than opening its pages. There is no greater source of hope. The Bible is the only source of true hope (Jer. 29:11; Ps. 119:114; Ps. 130:5).
In our total need, we find total help in the Bible. This total help is Jesus, the central theme of the entire Bible. And that’s wonderful. Because He is exactly what we need, He is all we need (Phil. 4:9).
With the conviction that Christ is the most relevant and important figure in our lives, the perfect solution to our storms, and that we can find Him in the Bible’s pages with the greatest closeness and relevance, I invite you to approach it.
Let its pages lead you to God. Let its stories teach you that there is a living and current message (Heb. 1:2); that there is a divine and eternal person so different from us and yet so close. God has never been far away, and He came even closer, wrapped in swaddling clothes. This God, the God of the Bible, visited us and walked among us, not only to give us an example but to take our place in the seat of the accused. Christ died on the cross (Is. 53:5; Heb. 12:2), on the tree meant for us; and with this sublime transaction, He cleansed the one who approached Him with a humble and sincere heart from pain and guilt (Ps. 51:16-18; James 4:8).
In the past, God spoke.
But He speaks now too. Let the Bible, the Great Book, share His words with you; words that are relevant in the past, present, and future. Words of eternal life.
In the past, God spoke.
Take the time to open the pages of the Bible and see that today too… God speaks.
Article originally published on the EBI Editorial blog.
