Read time: 4 minutes
“Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land.” (Prov. 25:25 NIV)
Good news brings life to the soul.
The healthy birth of a long-awaited child, the announcement the cancer is in remission, or that the job you’ve always wanted is now yours, all good news. Think of a moment when you heard good news like one of these, what did it do for you?
I remember where I was for the birth of all of my nieces and nephews. In New York when my niece was born, I couldn’t wait to get home. When my nephews were born, I was only minutes away from the hospital both times. Each of their entries into the world highly anticipated, breathing new life into our family, literally.
Good news keeps you going.
In golf, we have a saying when we hit a good shot; “That will keep you coming back.” As easy as the game may seem, hitting a small white ball with a long metal shaft is hard. Even though the ball doesn’t move, our heads do. Not keeping our eye on the ball, one of the many reasons golf is a frustrating game. If you’re watching pros on tour, understand, they’ve hit an astronomical number of golf balls to reach that level of play. So when you hit that one shot, just right, it keeps you coming back to the game. If we never hit a good shot, we’d stop playing.
Life is the same; bad news is constant. I learned of a Mom and a 5-year-old who were hit by a semi-truck, killing the child. Mom was talking to Dad on the phone when the accident happened, he heard the scream, and then the phone went silent. He’s who called 911. Starting my day off with this tragic news, even though I didn’t know them, was challenging. Unfortunately, in ministry, we hear more sad stories than happy ones. Why? Because people come to God when broken. When life is good, God gets forgotten.
Good news keeps us coming back to the game of life.
Amid this tragedy, God’s people are His hands and feet for the family, supporting them through the dark days. The miracle of the mom’s survival is good news that spurs on the rest of the family. The heartache of loss will never go away, but the hope of Jesus promises they will one day reunite. Sometimes good news is hard to find, but it’s there.
Jesus is the good news we all need. He is what paves the way for us to reunite with our loved ones in eternity. Our days on earth are short, but our lives in eternity are infinite.
Seek Jesus. Let His good news breathe life into your dark days.
Question of the Day:
What good news has spurred you on lately?
Further Reading: Jeremiah 35:1-36:32 NIV, 1 Timothy 5 NIV, Psalm 89:14-37 NIV, Proverbs 25:25-27 NIV
