When Bad News Comes
When
Bad news comes.
This year, I made the decision to subscribe to both an American and an Italian news source. My intention was to become more aware of what is going on in the world through reputable sources. This has meant living with less ignorance, but facing a daily report on what awful thing(s) have happened since I last checked. In the past week the world has watched as Russia mounted its attack on Ukraine. This is bad news. Bad news for Ukraine and it's citizens. This is bad news for world economies. This is bad news for gas prices. But this is also bad news on a personal level. People we know and love are having to leave their homes or required to stay. Others who are choosing to stay and help.
What other bad news will spawn from this? Living in Rome, some of us are asking, "Will this bad news change my situation?" After all, Europe is no stranger to wars, so how long before disaster arrives at my door? I don't know the answer to those questions, but I found our reading this morning very timely.
This morning we read Psalm 112:
“6 For the righteous will never be moved;
he will be remembered forever.
7 He is not afraid of bad news;
his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.
8 His heart is steady; he will not be afraid,
until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.
9 He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever;
his horn is exalted in honor.”
When bad news strikes, this is who I want to be, the righteous man who is not afraid of bad news. What does it take to be like that? Where do we get a firm heart, that trusts the Lord, no matter what the news?
Fear and Delight
This Psalm begins with "Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments!" The Psalmist is returning us to the 'whole duty of man' in Ecclesiastes 12:13, Fear God and keep his commandments. For the Christian, all of life and every circumstance is oriented according to God as the supreme, central figure. Humans have a special relationship to him both as our maker, but also as our redeemer. He holds our lives in his hands, having determined when and where we would exist. As sinners who have broken his law, he has every right to remove us from his creation. Yes, we should fear his all-powerful, righteous justice. But he is also our great delight, because he has issued all of his wrath for our sin onto his very own son who has made it possible for the likes of us to enjoy the likes of him eternally.
So, we can fear him above any bad news because the worse news (death and hell) has been undone. And we can rejoice that his way to live is different, better, redeemed from futility.
His Righteousness Endures Forever
Jesus is, of course, the ultimate fulfiller of this Psalm. He exhibited perfect fear of his Father, delighted in his commands, then trusted his father in the face of the cross and all the pain and suffering that he would endure for the price of sin. Although we do not know who will be the victors in the world's present conflict, he has looked in triumph on his adversaries (v. 9). So, no matter what we may or may not face, we can rest secure knowing that our greatest adversary has been defeated. So may this heart-firming, trust inducing, good news overshadow all fear of bad news.
Love you guys,
Loren