He Will Have No Fear of Bad News

"India heat wave tests water supply as deaths near 2000"

"magnitude 8.5 earthquake strikes off coast of Japan"

"severe storm ravages Texas"

There's bad news everywhere, from shootings to natural disasters; when I hear of the massive numbers of people dying and suffering, and I hear the tribulations in the lives of my friends and their families, my immediate response is to question God.

"why O LORD?" 
"what are you doing?" 
"how could you let this happen?" 
"is this doing good for anyone?"

But as I reflect on Psalm 112 this morning, I was reminded of a simple yet always forgotten truth. Psalm 112 describes a person I want to strive to be, someone who fears the LORD, he finds great delight in God's commands, this man is gracious, compassionate and righteous, he conducts his affairs with justice, he has no fear, and scatters his gifts to the poor abroad. But the trait that stood out to me was,

"He will have no fear of bad news;
his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD."

- Psalm 112:7

It's simple, yet it is so hard to practice. This man described does not fear bad news, does not fear trials, because he knows the LORD, has faith in the LORD and his plan; trusting in His goodness, faithfulness and sovereignty.

I'll be honest, its hard to think God will use these disasters to build his kingdom; its hard to see any good behind the physical/mental conditions we have, or the conflicts within our families, but i've been asked and I now ask you,

"if you can trust the LORD for your salvation and the forgiveness of your sins, can you not trust in Him in your difficulties, in your hurt, pain and trials?" 

We most definitely can, and we see time after time in scripture that God uses broken families, conflict and disasters for his glory. So let our hearts be steadfast, and trusting that God will act.

At the same time, though we shall not fear bad news, there is an active portion too. Yes, we are to be praying for what is going on in the world and in our lives, but in regards to the world events and natural disasters, my friend once enlightened me, noting that earthquakes (and other disasters) are mentioned quite frequently in scripture, an instance being in Matthew 24 when Jesus describes the signs of the end of the age. Earthquakes are seen as just the beginning of birth pains before the end comes. I strongly believe that the end is coming, and these quakes and headlines could/should almost be heard as wake up calls from God, that we need to act, we need to be on mission as disciples of Christ, sharing the good news before it is too late. Although our earthly lives are short, what we do matters for eternity.

So let us have a heart that trusts in the LORD in the face of bad news, but also to have the heart to act for the LORD knowing what is to come.