“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11)
Dear Lord,
Help me to see beyond the lights of Christmas and see you, the Light of the World.
Help me to see beyond the gifts of Christmas and see you, the Gift from God the Father.
Help me to see beyond the food of Christmas and see you, the Bread of Life.
Help me to see beyond the activity of Christmas and see you, the Rest for my Soul. Amen
“He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting the Lord” (Psalm 112:7)
“We Wish You a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year” is a Christmas Carol that people have sung since the 16th century in England. It is a song of joy as expressed in the words: “Good tidings we bring to you and your kin. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.” However, not everybody receives good news during this time of year. We still face trials, sorrow, and pain. We may feel a great sense of loneliness. Yes, difficulties don’t stop during this time of year; however, there is good news from God.
In the Bible, many people triumphed over the hardships in their lives. Joseph overcame many hardships, including betrayal, slavery, and prison, to become Egypt’s prime minister. Ruth overcame the bad news of the death of her husband and living in poverty. She would soon marry Boaz and become the great-grandmother of King David.
God gives us his Word to encourage us as we face the evil tidings of life that may come our way. Every day, “bad news” can surprise us. We don’t ask for it, but it is a package delivered to the doorway of our lives. How can we triumph even amid heartbreaking news? Psalm 112:7 gives us an answer to this question.
Typically, our first response to bad news is to be afraid or fearful. Fear paralyzes us. It causes us to focus on the bad news instead of our Great God. God tells us that we do not have to fear the “hardships” that enter our lives. God knows that fear will keep us from seeing Him. Fear causes us to doubt the goodness and the power of God. For this reason, God gives us many verses that command us to “fear not.”
When fear departs amid the bad news, we can take the next step in facing our difficulties. We now can “fix our heart” upon the Lord. Our bad news is an opportunity to focus on God. We can focus on all of His attributes and promises. When we fix our hearts upon the Lord, it may not change our circumstances, but it will change how we face our situations. We will understand with the Apostle Paul that God’s grace is sufficient for the “bad news” that may come in our lives.
Once fear has departed and we have fixed our hearts upon the Lord, then we can have faith in Him. Faith is responding to all that we know about God. The more we know the Lord, the more we can trust Him. True faith knows that God will never leave or forsake us regardless of the “bad news” that may come our way. His love is unchanging. He loves us with an “everlasting love.”. Faith in our Lord will dispel any fear in our lives. It will enable us to bear whatever “bad news” that comes our way.
In summary, when we receive bad news, Psalm 112: 7 tells us three ways to respond to the “bad news.”
When “evil tidings” enter, God has a way of turning those evil tidings into an opportunity to see Him work in our lives. God will turn those “evil tidings” into “good tidings” that will draw us closer to Him and bring glory to His name.
A PRAYER WHEN BAD NEWS COMES: Dear Lord, the news I receive is not always positive. I see people who are suffering. I hear of those who have marital problems. I talk with those who have a loved one who is dying. I see people who have turned away from you. I also face difficulties from time to time in my life. I tend to meet the bad news with fear. Help me to turn my eyes off the “bad news” and fix my heart upon you. Please, increase my faith. Help me believe that you will take this “bad news” and make it a blessing. Thank you for your excellent plan for my life. Amen”
The valley is a place of the unknown. The future is unknown. The next step to take has yet to be discovered. The reason for being in the valley is unknown. The unknown causes us to develop fear and anxiety. Faith seems to disappear in our lives. We know that God is with us. We know the promises of God. We want to trust God. We need to trust God! Yet, we only see the dark road ahead of us. Why is faith so difficult when we need it the most?
I have tried to understand the answer to the above question. Why can’t I trust my loving God? Why can’t I trust my all-wise God? Perhaps the answer lies in the verse where Jesus tells us that we are to become as little children. “And (Jesus)said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3). A little child has great faith and trust, which is essential for us in our walk with God.
As a very young child, I trusted my parents in everything. I didn’t doubt anything they said. When they told me Santa Claus was coming, I believed them. When they took me to the doctor for a painful shot, I believed them when they said it was for my own good. They were my parents, so I trusted them.
As I grew older, I started to doubt what my parents said. I doubted their rules. I doubted what they thought was best for me. I doubted the way they raised me. I still loved them, but I thought I knew better. I lost my child-like trust in them. I weighed everything they did from my very narrow teenage viewpoint.
In my relationship with God, I find it easy to lose my child-like faith. I see my life from my viewpoint. I try to understand what God is doing instead of trusting what He is doing. Instead of submitting to his way of working in a particular situation, I try to interfere in what He is doing.
As a child, my parents would take me to various places in our car. I never doubted that I would arrive there safely. I never doubted that they had my best interest at heart. I never complained about the journey. I would sit in the back seat, look around at the scenery, and accept that my parents wanted this.
Why is it that when God is taking us through a valley experience, we don’t trust Him? Does He not know what is best for us? Does He not use the valley experience for our benefit and for the benefit of those to whom I minister? I need to have a child-like faith and believe that God knows what is best. Romans 8:28 is still true: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
The struggle of faith exists because we act too much like adults. We need to see before believing. We need to understand before we believe. We need to know the results before we believe. We need to feel like there is something that we can do to resolve the trial. The more we think like an adult, the more our faith diminishes.
How can we grow in faith in the midst of the valley? The valley challenges our faith. It batters our faith. We need faith desperately. The first step of faith is to return to a child-like view of God. We don’t have to understand what God is doing. We don’t have to understand what will happen in the future. We don’t have to know why all of this is happening. We can look unto our Heavenly Father and know that He controls everything. His path is always the best way to go, even if it takes us through a dark valley.
“Dear Father, I thank you for your patience with me. I approach you quite often with the attitude that I need to understand everything. I need you to explain everything to me. This has hindered my faith. Please help me to trust you with the heart of a little child. I know that you will resolve my struggle of faith when I surrender my perspective, my ideas, and my dreams unto you. Thank you for being my loving Father in whom I can place all of my trust. Amen”
Have you recently entered into a valley in your life? You didn’t choose this valley, but God has chosen it for you. God knows exactly what He is doing in your life. The process of becoming more like Christ is not always pleasant. The valley is a place where we meet fire, pressure, and the unknown. The great thing about the valley is that we are not traveling this valley alone. David, who faced many valleys, wrote: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: FOR THOU ART WITH ME; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4)
As you reflect upon your time in the valley, there are several lessons to learn. As James wrote: “My brethren, COUNT IT ALL JOY when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” (James 1:2-4) There is joy amid the valley because the Lord is still working in our lives.
Regardless of age, we are learning new lessons and reviewing old ones. We are slow learners, but God is a very patient teacher. He knows what to bring into our lives to make Christlikeness a reality. Every valley is different, and there are new lessons to learn. Here are some lessons the Lord teaches us as we travel through this valley.
1. We learn that every valley is God’s special plan for our lives. Joseph didn’t choose to become a slave, but it was God’s special plan. He understood this very clearly when he told his brothers. “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.” (Genesis 50:20). Joseph’s brothers did evil when they sold him into slavery, yet God took that evil deed and used it for good.
As we plod through this valley, we become thankful that God is still working in our lives. Paul understood this when he wrote: “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6). God is working His loving plan in our lives. He knows the right instrument to use to make us more like Jesus!
2. We learn that the valley is a place of thirsting for Christ. Communion with Christ can elude us in the good times; however, in the valley, it is essential. The valley shouts to us: “Go to Christ! Go to Christ!” Our need for Christ increases our desire for him. David wrote: “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is.” (Psalm 63:1). When we thirst for Christ, He is there to satisfy our thirst. When we run from the valley of His choosing, we lose those intimate times of fellowship with Him.
3. We learn that we can show our vulnerabilities before others. The valley has a way of causing us to be broken and humble before God and others. As a result, people see that we are vulnerable. Those who love us will see this vulnerability and try to bring comfort, healing, and encouragement into our lives. Naomi showed her vulnerability before Ruth. As a result, Ruth left everything and became her dearest friend.
Sometimes, we try to show our strength while traveling in the valley. If we had only expressed our needs, people would have been eager to help us. There is nothing wrong with letting people know that you are traveling through a valley. Jonathan had a great ministry of encouragement to David because David showed his vulnerability to Jonathan.
4. We learn that we need intercessory prayer. We don’t ask people to pray for us when things are going well. However, when we enter the valley, Paul’s words, “Brethren, pray for us,” easily fall from our lips. We may not understand how prayer works, but it does! There are many pitfalls in this valley, and yet the prayers of others will take us through each pitfall.
5. We learn that tears are perfectly appropriate. We may rarely cry, but when something or someone you love is hurting, tears flow naturally. Jesus said: “Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4) Comfortcomes from the Savior who shed His tears for the people of Jerusalem. He sorrows for the same things which cause us to have sorrow. The tears show that we love those things that Jesus loves. When we weep in our valley, we follow the example of Jesus Christ.
6. We learn that great comfort comes from the Word of God. The valley causes us to have a greater desire to read the Word, but it also gives us a greater ability to allow the truths of God’s Word to speak to our hearts. When things are going well, we may read the Bible, but the Bible becomes our life-preserver when we are in the valley. We hold unto its truths as though our lives depend upon it. “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.” (Psalm 119:71)
As you continue traveling this valley, be thankful that you don’t have to travel alone. Jesus is walking with you and places people in your life who will walk with you in the valley. There will be more lessons to learn and relearn; however, you have the greatest teacher who ever walked the earth. His name is Jesus!
Bible Treasures for Today 