“He is not afraid of bad news.” Wow, did those words jump out at me! Psalm 112:7. We’ve all gotten bad news in the past and dread the possibility of unexpected, devastating bad news yet to come. To deal with it, replace your preoccupation with yourself with constant awareness of God’s presence for your good. “He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.”
Calm response to inevitable bad news is promised throughout the Bible. Jesus: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (John 14:27) Reading the Bible can yield many more promises of calm. Memorizing a few fortifies you for the inevitable.
How do you become bigger than bad news, to cry but with hope, to pray even though you’re holding your head in your hands, to know that “weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning”? (Psalm 30:5) As Brother Lawrence wrote long ago, practice the presence of God. “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You.” (Isaiah 26:3)
Comments