Author’s Note – This is my latest church newsletter contribution. I hope it gives you some guidance but as usual, if this isn’t your thing, it won’t hurt my feelings any if you skip it.

Once when I was cleaning out my desk at home, I found a bookmark that Bill’s grandmother had given him years before. It was titled “First Aid Bible Verses” and the following was printed on it:

When sick   Psalm 41

When lonely Psalm 23

When discouraged   Isaiah 40

When worried   Matthew 6: 19-34

When in sorry   John 14

When in danger   Psalm 91

When men fail you   Psalm 27

When you grow bitter   1 Corinthians 13

When you want peace Matthew 11: 28-30

When God seems far away   Psalm 139

When you want Christian assurance   Romans 8

I tucked it into my Bible and gave no thought to reading these verses until I reached a particularly frustrating point in my life. As I looked up Isaiah 40, I realized that the Bible is first aid for all the invisible wounds and scars we gather throughout our lives. The Bible often contradicts itself and confuses us, and there are as many interpretations of its words as there have been readers throughout history. Sometimes the meaning of scripture is perverted by those who are seeking power over others and worldly gain, but at its most basic level, the Bible is a spiritual guidebook that helps us bind our wounds as we seek to understand God’s plan for us. Many of the Bible’s best-loved stories show that God most often reveals Himself to us in times of turmoil, when we are so desperate for guidance and healing that we may literally fall on our knees and beg God for mercy.  Although we may not entirely understand or accept what the Bible reveals to us, the word of God can be our balm and our comfort, allowing us to live a fully Christian life even when we feel as though the darkness will consume us.