There are few things in this world that make my heart jump into my throat faster than a phone call from my Beloved that starts like this:
“Hey, Sharita. So… I’ve got some news.”
Please excuse me until I stop hyperventilating. (Just kidding.)
But seriously. I can vividly remember early on in our relationship (during a deployment) how those words could bring me to my knees almost immediately.
See, my husband has a great perspective on life. (Plus one of his spiritual gifts is faith. Lucky.) He’s been in the army for a decade and understand how things work (even when they are less-than-ideal.) He’s an optimistic and I don’t think I have EVER heard him say “I have BAD news.” To him, it’s just news.
Me, on the other hand– now I try to be an optimist, but I think I am more of a realist. Or maybe a “panic-right-now-and-calm-down-later-because-I-know-it-is-gonna-be-ok-ist.”
Which brings us to today’s Hidden Ah-Ha Bible Verse:
“They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.” ~Psalm 112:7
How’s THAT for perspective? This verse is jam-packed with great stuff… So let’s break it down…
First: “They have no fear of bad news.” That in itself is the bomb-diggity as far as I am concerned. No fear of bad news. How many “bad news” things in life are we potentially afraid of? A call from the doctor with test results? Or a note sent home with our kiddo about behavior issues? A meeting with the boss about a job change? A peek at our bank account to see how much money we do (or don’t) have?
The list can go on for miles. But in this verse, we have no fear of bad news. Such freedom in that!
And WHY should we not fear?? The answer is obvious in the second half of this verse. “…Our hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.”
So, I know the “now” definition of steadfast, but I wanted to see what it meant in Bible terms. In this Psalm, the word used is “fixed” which means established, firm, prepared, set in place, made ready, stable, faithfulness, perfect…
Hmmm… Makes you think, eh? Our hearts are firm. Our hearts are prepared. Our hearts are stable. Our hearts are faithful. Our hearts are established…
Our hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
And why are our hearts steadfast/fixed/faithful/prepared/etc? Because God is trustworthy. Loving. Sovereign. Ever-present. All-knowing.
God is a God of incredible character. Which makes our hearts steadfast– and then we have no fear of bad news.
I think I might have found one of my new favorite verses. 🙂
Friend, take a moment and think to yourself– do you fear bad news? Have you ever received “bad news” and God wasn’t there? (If you have an active relationship with Christ, I’m guessing the answer to that one is no.) So, then, why should we fear bad news? How can we start TRUSTING God at a deeper level so that we can live our lives anxiety free?
If you struggle with any of these things, I challenge you to mediate on this verse throughout the week. I can personally testify that God is a God of heart-change. While I still have my brief or occasional “panic” moments when life kicks me in teeth, I always remember that God is a God we can trust.
He is our steadfast God.
Because of this, we should have NO fear of bad news.
And that, dear friend, is great news.
Fixed on Him,
SGK
“He is not afraid of receiving bad news; his faith is strong, and he trusts in the Lord.” ~Psalm 112:7 GNT
