The Bible – The Problem Solver Book

Let’s face it life is full of stress and problems. All of us, no matter how careful we are to avoid them, will still encounter our share of problems as we journey through life. The big question we all face is where can we turn to get good advice to deal with our issues in life. Let’s take a brief tour of some of the more popular coping mechanisms that people rely upon to deal with the problems and stresses they face in life.

1.     Millions of Americans turn to alcohol and drugs to try to deal with the stresses they face in life. Sadly, the track record for these substance solutions is not very good. For while they may dull the pain drugs and alcohol ruin millions of their users through addiction and destroyed relationships. Their use leads to more problems not less.

2.     Sex is another coping mechanism that many indulge in to relieve stress and hopefully find meaning in a world that seems to offer so little true enjoyment in life. Sex, as the Bible shares, is a beautiful experience as long as it is confined to the marriage bed. If this boundary is ignored, as so many do, then sex no longer becomes a special union of two souls but a commodity bartered between to fleshes. The momentary pleasure that these unbiblical sexual encounters give usually result in the inevitable progression into the world of perversion and disease. Premarital and extramarital sex, homosexuality, incest, prostitution, pornography, V.D., AIDS, sadomasochism, abortion and countless millions of destroyed families totally shatter the beauty that could have been.

3.     Reading self-help books are another popular trend today. Millions of Americans read these books seeking advice on how to cope with their problems. The Bible says, however, that we are born in sin and that since no good thing dwells in our flesh we are really incapable of solving our problems on our own. Paul says in (Romans 7:18): “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.”

4.     One other example will suffice. Millions of Americans turn to religion as the great antidote to life’s problems. The occult, the New Age, humanism, and Scientology are just a few of our modern answers to solving our issues and delivering meaning into our lives. But the Bible shares that unless we worship the one true God – Jesus Christ – we will never be able to seek the answers we are looking for that are needed to deal with our problems, stresses, and find real meaning in life. 

Fortunately for us God has left us the great problem-solving book – the Holy Bible. Former President Ronald Reagan understood this reality when he commented: “Within the covers of the Bible are all the answers for all the problems men face. The Bible can touch hearts, order minds and refresh souls.”

Since God is our Creator, He knows everything about us and how we can achieve maximum enjoyment and meaning in this life. Dive deep into the pages of the Scriptures and you will find incomparable wisdom to deal with every issue and problem that a person could face. If you are depressed, having marital problems, dealing with anger, jealousy, an unforgiving heart, and so many other important issues, the Bible has the answer you are looking for. When we trust God, and the book that is all about Him, He will not let you down.

In future devotions we will deal with how and where to find the answer in the Bible on how to cope with all of these examples. In closing I leave you with the following encouraging words of our 28^th President of the United States, Woodrow Wilson, in the hope that you will read and cherish your Bible: “There are a good many problems before the American people today, and before me as President, but I expect to find the solution of those problems just in the proportion that I am faithful in the study of the Word of God.”