It鈥檚 been said: 鈥淣o one loves the messenger who brings bad news.鈥� 聽Be it an ancient seer or the local radio station, no voice proclaiming such news is welcomed.
I admit that for many years, rather decades, I was a newscast addict. I tuned in at every opportunity in order to keep up to date on what was happening locally, nationally and internationally. Not any more, though. Between the disturbing reports of wars, terrorism, economic collapses and now, the threat of an epidemic of proportions I couldn鈥檛 even imagine, I鈥檝e lost my interest in these updates. 聽Having said that, to hide one鈥檚 head and pretend that bad news doesn鈥檛 exist is a phony escape mechanism. Bad news is simply part of life.
As I mull over and do much praying each week re the topics of these articles, I actually was excited to remember that in spite of negative reports, God has given us wonderful news; such wonderful news, in fact, that we cannot even begin to comprehend it. Here鈥檚 how John Piper put it:
"The gospel is the good news that the everlasting and ever-increasing joy of the never-boring, ever-satisfying Christ is ours freely and eternally by faith in the sin-forgiving death and hope-giving resurrection of Jesus Christ."
Does this mean that good people and/or believers in Christ never suffer bad things? No, we鈥檙e all targets for suffering, pain and trauma of all sorts. What it does mean is that we have a Refuge and a promise that all things work together for good to those who love God. That鈥檚 what I call wonderful news!
鈥淗e who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress; in Him, I will trust.鈥� Psalm 91:1,2
