Psalms 62:8 Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.

Sometimes circumstances come up in life that cause us to question our beliefs, question what we've been taught, question what just recently we've known to be true.  Does God really exist?  Do we have his word?  Is it clear?

With so much differing views on the Bible; these questions inevitably enter our minds.

First, if God doesn't exist, we realize as Solomon did that everything is vanity.  There is no hope, there is no reason, and no point in living.  What a dreaded picture for those who don't have God.  There is too much undeniable truth to not believe in God.  It is said "only a fool believes there is no God"; and they do so to their own destruction. (Ps 14:1, Ps 53:1)

What about the Bible and it's clarity?  There are so many teachings that are contrary to each other that people glean from its pages.  It's important to note that the Bible is a reliable historical document; textual evidence supports that we can trust it.  It's also important to note that man is fallible.  God chose to inspire the apostles and writers of scripture to pen down scripture.  We who follow have no authority; we do the best with what God has given us to come to a fuller understanding of God.  We cannot follow men.  I don't think anyone would believe fully what another man believes, we may agree with Augustine on some points but not others, with Calvin, Spurgeon, Wesley on some points but not others.  These were men of God, they all had to be wrong in some respect because they do not agree with each other and they were not inspired apostles.  We have to conclude then that some of our own beliefs are wrong -- are no the correct teaching of God.  How can we reconcile this face?  All we can do is trust God, to seek him with all our being, to have a hunger and thirst for truth.  We can't even trust ourselves since we are wrong in some, maybe many areas.

The Bible teaches all these things.  God knows, Jesus said as the last day approaches that apostasy and error will abound, that few there be that find the truth.  These truly are dark times for mankind, and sadly, people do not see.  The Bible portrays mankind truthfully, for what we are -- wicked, selfish and proud.  "We deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us."

God and God alone is our only hope, we cannot rely on an organization, or church, or our heroes, but God and his word.

Only God can illuminate us.  Oh God!  Please illumine my heart, may I know you more!

We must "come to a saving knowledge of Christ", we will never have a full understanding while our limited bodies and sinful nature hold us back.  May we have that saving knowledge, and trust God in the rest.

Seek God, trust and obey.  "Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey."