Are You a Brave Bible Student?

I smiled when I read my young friend’s plea for guidance this morning. She’s fresh out of high school, on the verge of stepping out into the world where she will have to make so many decisions for herself. She’s a smart, beautiful and delightful young woman.

And she typed for all her friends to see, “HELP!”

Of course I felt a little awkward responding to her plea. Who am I to assume that I know the answers? All of her friends would also see me offering a reply. Would I look like a know-it-all? Would they assume me to be arrogant? 

I prayed for guidance and typed her a simple response that would lead her to discover truth on her own.

I wasn’t sure that was what she was looking for, and I was still nervous about the perceptions of others. But how could I let this opportunity for growth slip by? And, according to the Facebook status, she had posted her desperate cry for help 13 hours ago, and no one had responded as of yet.

I admit, I was a little relieved when she responded to my reply, just minutes later with:

And then I thought of you…my blog friends. The Lord used this little unexpected situation to put two questions on my mind for you.

1. What do you do when you read something in God’s Word that you don’t understand? Do you ask God for help? Do you seek guidance from someone you respect, someone whose life indicates they follow God’s teachings? Or do you brush aside the mystery, allowing confusion and lack of knowledge to mound into destructive fortresses of doubt?
2. What do you do when someone asks you about a teaching in the Bible? Do you get flustered and send them elsewhere? Do you simply offer them “what it says to me?” Or do you prayerfully consider how to give the seeker truth, biblical counsel and even tools for sound, responsible study on their own?