Beloved Kinney,
Several weeks ago, I was reading from our Bible reading plan on our church app, and
was struck by these words from Psalm 112:6-9:
“For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever. He is not afraid
of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD. His heart is steady; he will not be
afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.”
A righteous person is described as one who is steady, not easily shaken, persevering,
faithful. Don’t you long to be that kind of person?
Honestly what struck me most is the statement, “He is not afraid of bad news.” Notice it
does not say, “He handles bad news well.” Or “He is not shaken by bad news.” The
Psalmist is not referring to the righteous person’s disposition AFTER he receives bad
news. He’s talking about his disposition BEFORE he receives bad news. “He is not
afraid of bad news.” Put differently, the righteous person does not sit in anxiety or fear or
worry in the anticipation of bad news.
So often we are shaken and fearful not of what HAS happened, but of what we think
MIGHT happen. We are presently shaken and anxious by the potential of future
problems.
But the righteous person does not sit in fear of the anticipation of possible bad news.
WHY? The psalmist gives the answer: “His heart is firm, trusting the Lord.”
This is what makes a righteous person righteous: he trusts the Lord. What will keep you
from fretting the possibility of a bad health report? What will prevent you from being
consumed with worry about how a person might react to something you need to tell
them? What will give your heart peace as you anticipate what may or may not happen
with your job (whether you’ll lose it or even whether you’ll get one!)?
What makes you NOT afraid of potential bad news? Trust the Lord. It really is that
simple. TRUST THE LORD. Trust that he will keep you. Trust that he will give you the
grace you need to endure any potential bad news. Trust that he knows the future and it
doesn’t shake him!
Trust the Lord. “Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus. Just to take him at his word! Just to rest
upon his promise. And to know, ‘Thus saith the Lord.’” Amen.
Love,
Pastor Josh
Several weeks ago, I was reading from our Bible reading plan on our church app, and
was struck by these words from Psalm 112:6-9:
“For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever. He is not afraid
of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD. His heart is steady; he will not be
afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.”
A righteous person is described as one who is steady, not easily shaken, persevering,
faithful. Don’t you long to be that kind of person?
Honestly what struck me most is the statement, “He is not afraid of bad news.” Notice it
does not say, “He handles bad news well.” Or “He is not shaken by bad news.” The
Psalmist is not referring to the righteous person’s disposition AFTER he receives bad
news. He’s talking about his disposition BEFORE he receives bad news. “He is not
afraid of bad news.” Put differently, the righteous person does not sit in anxiety or fear or
worry in the anticipation of bad news.
So often we are shaken and fearful not of what HAS happened, but of what we think
MIGHT happen. We are presently shaken and anxious by the potential of future
problems.
But the righteous person does not sit in fear of the anticipation of possible bad news.
WHY? The psalmist gives the answer: “His heart is firm, trusting the Lord.”
This is what makes a righteous person righteous: he trusts the Lord. What will keep you
from fretting the possibility of a bad health report? What will prevent you from being
consumed with worry about how a person might react to something you need to tell
them? What will give your heart peace as you anticipate what may or may not happen
with your job (whether you’ll lose it or even whether you’ll get one!)?
What makes you NOT afraid of potential bad news? Trust the Lord. It really is that
simple. TRUST THE LORD. Trust that he will keep you. Trust that he will give you the
grace you need to endure any potential bad news. Trust that he knows the future and it
doesn’t shake him!
Trust the Lord. “Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus. Just to take him at his word! Just to rest
upon his promise. And to know, ‘Thus saith the Lord.’” Amen.
Love,
Pastor Josh
Recent
Archive
2025
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
Categories
no categories
Tags
no tags