No Fear

"(She) will have no fear of bad news; (her) heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. (Her) heart is secure, (she) will have no fear." Psalm 112:7-8 NIV

"Unfazed by rumor and gossip, heart ready, trusting in God, spirit firm, unperturbed, ever blessed." Psalm 112:7-8 The Message

The world is full of bad news. If it's been relatively quiet on our own home front, we can turn on the six o'clock news and see for ourselves the disasters and violence happening around the world. We are drawn to the most terrible events with a kind of fascination...perhaps because it makes our own lives seem a little better. Rumors and gossip are really a local version of the nightly news...it is tempting to get caught up in talking over so-and-so's bitter divorce, the co-worker's cancer diagnosis, a friend of a friend's affair, and did you hear about her husband's drinking problem? Although they are not our own troubles, one of two things often happens: we worry and fret about others and their fate, or we rejoice inwardly that our own lives are better and then put it out of our minds entirely.

Until the day the bad news is delivered to our door. A pain you've been ignoring turns out to be a tumor. The overtime your husband has been working for months turns out to have been spent with another woman. Your son or daughter is using drugs. We can't ignore it when it comes knocking at our own home. So our response is often uncontrollable worry, an overwhelming sense of panic, or the darkness of depression.

The woman who trusts in God, and knows that He will bring her through all events in her life, has no fear. She knows that fear is not from God, for he has said 365 times in the Bible, "Fear not". Her heart is steady, leaning on Him, and relying on His love and wisdom. What she can not control, she hands over to God, knowing He has a plan. What she can do, she does: provides comfort to others, goes about her daily activities to the best of her abilities, and prays often.

Lord Jesus, let me not be afraid of any bad news; let my heart trust in you, and have no fear. Amen.

Life Steps: If I watch the news, can I change how I think about terrible events? Instead of worrying or ignoring, God might be calling me to pray hard or take action to help in some small way. The next time I hear gossip, I could also pray or find some way to help.