By Rev. Dr. Rick Chesher
After over 20 years in the ministry, and all of the study I do every week preparing for each Sabbath, I still find great comfort in the basics of Scripture and what we call the Gospel. I am really fond of the passage in the Gospel of John.
In the Gospel of John we find, what I believe to be some of the most important information to us, and also some of the most comforting. “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”. Most of us that have been in church very long recognize the “Word” as Yashua (Jesus). For me this is important because when I read the Word is means it is Him. I am able to know and hear from Him. This makes me understand that He wants me to be able to hear from Him.
The next wonderful thing we hear about Him, is that nothing that has been created was created without Him. This means that He has intimate knowledge of the world around me and, even more important He knows me. It is easy to feel as if we are all alone in this world sometimes. And it is easy to feel that no one knows where we are at in life, or that no one understands us. But if He created us, He knows and understands us.
The next thing I find out about Him is, that His life is the light of man. This means to understand anything about life and how to live it all I need to do is to look to Him. Yashua (Jesus) is the true life and the understanding of life. He is not only our life, but is the meaning of life itself. When life seems to close in on us we can look to Him, because He is the Light that shines into the darkness.
The next thing I find out is, through Him I can have the right to become a child of God, or the Father if you will. Through Yashua (Jesus) I can be brought into a family, His family. He came to earth to reside with us. This tells me He wants to be relational as well. He is not Just God, but He is one that was to have a close relationship with all of us who believe.
During times of struggle, during times of doubt, during times of any season I always return to these words and read them and let them soak in. It has been these words I have been able to find comfort, and even direction because they are a reminder to me that I am not alone. I have someone who is always near, someone who always listens, and someone who has given me Himself as a light in the middle of the darkest night to find my way to Himself. All of these things I just talked about can be found in John chapter one. So next time life seems over whelming get your Bible out, turn to John chapter 1 and listen for His voice in the words you read, and soon you too will see that light appear in the midst of your darkest night.