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Peace in Bad Reports. “Surely he shall not be moved forever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.”(Psalm 112:6-7 KJV)
The psalmist is not moved by fear and anxiety in times of trouble because his trust is in the Lord and not in himself or in external circumstances. When we know for certain who God really is and understand His Word, nothing can move us, even when bad reports come to us. It could be any bad reports, but the fact that God is in control and if we are His, then why should we worry? The only thing that will be a sad thing to hear is when we receive a report of a loved one who died without knowing Christ in their heart.
It is very important to first know Christ personally in your heart and receive His gift of salvation. Then you make every effort to let your loved ones get to know Christ and accept Him also into their hearts. When you have done your part to let others know about Christ, then when a bad report of death comes, you can have peace. You did your best and hopefully those you have presented Christ to have made their decision to accept Him even at their last breath. So when you receive any bad reports, there is some encouragement I want to share with you from the Word of God.
Calm Your Spirit During Bad Reports
When you receive a bad report whether due to death of a loved one or health problem, be still and trust God. Calm your spirit and know that God knows best. In the Book of Romans 8:28 KJV says- “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose.” This passage greatly encourages God’s children when we must endure suffering in this life.
God will bring good out of all affliction, trials, persecution and suffering; the good that God works in conforming us to the image of Christ and ultimately bringing about glorification.
This promise is limited to those who love God and have submitted to Him through faith in Christ. The “all things” do not include our sins and negligence; no one can excuse sin by maintaining that God will work it out for good. Another comforting word when we hear a bad report about our health from the Book of Psalm 73:25-26 KJV says: “Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever.”
The psalmist discovers the attitude that leads to the triumph of faith. In this life with all of its problems, our greatest good is intimate communion with God. Our hope, treasure and life is God Himself; always with us, guiding us by His Word and Spirit, upholding us by His power, and afterward receiving us into the glories of heaven.
God Is In Control
When we hear of bad reports, most of the time we get so down. How we want it to be different. We make plans and some of it turns out bad and not going the way we want it. For example, like my husband and I trying to sell our property, we had an offer and then a week later it did not work out. We wonder what could have gone wrong. We thought that was it we would finally be able to live out our plan, but it did not happen.
Now we realized that God has a better plan and He is working out the details of the whole situation. We wanted to sell out so that we could work full time at the ministry in the Philippines. But the pandemic came, and if we had been in the Philippines by now, we would have been in a big mess. My husband got sick and needs all the medical help he needs, we would not have been able to get it in the Philippines the way we are getting it here in the U.S.
So you see, we can make plans, but it is God who knows best and who is in control. If we have our faith and trust in Him, He will not allow us to be trapped in a situation that otherwise jeopardizes the ultimate plan and purpose of God for us. In the Book of Proverbs 19:21 KJV says- “There are many devices (plans) in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel (purpose) of the LORD, that shall stand (prevails).” This passage clearly tells us that even though we make plans for our lives, it is still God who does what is best for us.
You know when you really think of this deeply, what a comfort it brings to know that we can get messed up, but God in His grace and mercy orders our steps. It is because of His great love for us. All I can say is thank you God! Friends, it is so necessary to just be still and know that God is in control. To be still, is to stop striving, stop fighting on your own to achieve those many plans. You just simply need to relax and trust God that He will accomplish His best plans and purpose for your life.
