How to have no fear of bad news

Every day we’re asking four questions about part of the Bible. Today Bern Leckie answers:

What did I like about today’s passage?

If you watch the news at all, I think you’d agree this hasn’t exactly been a quiet news week. From notable people catching and spreading coronavirus in the UK and US to various crises affecting our pockets, prospects and planet, it’s been a non-stop, rainy miseryfest. And that’s on top of the fears we might have about our personal health and wealth right now, news we can’t just turn off when it gets us down. So, what can we do about this?

I love the direct answer from the author of Psalm 112 – “Surely the righteous will never be shaken… they will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.” Great! But what does that mean? And how do we get that?

The rest of Psalm 112 could make us think that being righteous is all about stuff we do to earn God’s favour. There’s a lot about commands, being generous, lending and giving. Funny how God picks on those things I often feel least like doing in crisis time, when it feels better to protect myself and save for a rainy day (I mean the next rainy day). But is that it? Does freedom from fear come from making myself give away stuff more freely?

I think there’s a common thread through these Psalms which suggests that this isn’t what makes us righteous, though it is something to enjoy when we’ve received righteousness. And where do we get that? It’s from God. It’s not a reward for things we’ve done, but a relationship with who he is. When we let his Spirit guide us into expressing our hearts freely in this relationship, look at what we end up giving – not just our stuff, but our selves. And not just our nice, churchy, smiley selves, but our whole selves, including our fears.

The writer of Psalm 109 has a massive mess of cursing desperation to bring to God. With Psalm 110, it’s trust in future judgement and reckoning. Psalm 111 recognises God as the source of wisdom and lasting justice. Psalm 113 caps this all, praising God and crediting him for restoration from the poverty and fruitlessness we might fear.

Does any of this long-lasting good news look smaller than this week’s bad news?

What did it show me about Father God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit?

There is even more to Psalm 110 than meets the eye at first. Jesus quotes it in Matthew 22:41-46. It’s about him! This is important because it shows that God answers our prayers with his presence. He does not remain remote from our suffering but intervenes personally.

So we don’t gain freedom from the fear of bad news by forcing ourselves to do more “righteous” stuff to please him. Instead, we bring ourselves to him, growing to trust him and what he has done. Righteousness is the relationship he gives us. Our hearts and stuff follow.

What am I going to do differently as a result?

Take more time this week to bring news, fears, hopes and praise to God, wholeheartedly.

Who am I going to share this with?

My family and others I discuss the news with!