flat earth dragon

Are ‘dragons’ haunting you?

“The truth of Christianity is that it is true to what is there.  You can go to the end of the world and you never need be afraid, like the ancients, that you will fall off the end and the dragons will eat you up.  You can carry out your intellectual discussion to the end of the game, because Christianity is not only true to the dogmas, it is not only true to what God has said in the Bible, but it is also true to what is there, and you will never fall off the end of the world!  It is not just an approximate model; it really is true to what is there.” (Francis Schaeffer, He Is There and He Is Not Silent, p.16)

There are many people who are searching for meaning; for one reason or another, they have come to the conclusion that life is meaningless.  They seek some form of renewal, but they often overlook the importance of a spiritual foundation.  When life is viewed as meaningless, it is difficult to find a reason to continue living when times get tough.  Such is the current state of affairs in the United States.  Look at the opening paragraph of a recent New York Times article titled “U.S. Suicide Rate Surges to a 30-Year High”: 

“Suicide in the United States has surged to the highest levels in nearly 30 years, a federal data analysis has found, with increases in every age group except older adults. The rise was particularly steep for women. It was also substantial among middle-aged Americans, sending a signal of deep anguish from a group whose suicide rates had been stable or falling since the 1950s.” ( http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/22/health/us-suicide-rate-surges-to-a-30-year-high.html?_r=0)

The idea that life is meaningless is not foreign to Scripture.  “Vanity of vanities, proclaims the “Preacher” of Ecclesiastes.  “Vanity of vanities; all is vanity.” Even though it is virtually a superlative, the biblical uses the phrase twice — suggesting that everything in life is to the greatest degree vanity. In fact, the word “vanity” (hebhel) is used thirty-nine times in the book.

Though the primary meaning of the word is “a breath” or “vapor” such as what you might see when exhaling on a cold day, the word is used poetically by the preacher of Ecclesiastes of all that is fleeting, perishable, transitory, frail and unsatisfying. In fact, in context the word suggests the futility of human effort. The verse provides the theme for the rest of the book. In asserting that “all is vanity,” the writer is emphasizing just how mundane human life seems to be. It needs to be remembered, however, that the focus is on man’s works and not God’s works.

Into God’s Word

Despair is not necessary!  After s fairly conclusive search for meaning, filled with much that is negative, even the book of Ecclesiastes concludes on a positive note.  Listen to his admonition: “The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh. The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:11–14, ESV).

Meaning is found is the biblical worldview!  It sufficiently accounts for the beginning of all that exists (something out of nothing), for why evil/chaos exists, for how the problem of evil can be corrected, and for the conclusion of all that is material.  The answer to meaninglessness is to become intimately connected to the god is “is there and is not silent.”  If you have not read Francis A. Schaeffer’s, He Is There and He Is Not Silent: Does it Make Sense to Believe in God?, I highly recommend it!