Isn’t it interesting how at one minute in your life all can be well, and then one phone call or text changes everything? Regardless of who you are, what area of town you grew up in, or the amount on your paycheck, none of us are immune to having our breath taken away by bad news that seems to spring up out of nowhere.

That is why Psalm 112:7 is so necessary. If bad news comes to us all, Christ-follower or not, what is the anchor for a wounded heart when it comes? Some people put their hope in going right back to work, accomplishing milestones to keep their mind off the turmoil around them. Others turn to alcohol or some other form of medication to keep from facing reality. All of these have the effect of putting a band aid on a gunshot wound.

For a Christ-follower, their heart is confident regardless of what the day brings. They are confident, not in themselves, but in the LORD. If you love Jesus, then your hope has never been on your life going the exact way you thought it would. That is functional idolatry. Your trust is in an unchangeable LORD. Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Nothing else in the world can claim that truth. Fads change. Lives change. Jobs change. Jesus stays the same through them all.

So in the middle of a very changing world, you don’t have to fear. You can have a confident heart, knowing that the One in whom you trust is the maker of all things. Trust in Him and His kind provision for you. Today you might receive a devastating phone call, but knowing the very One who lovingly watches over you can help to put that phone call in proper perspective.

We might grieve in this world, but we don’t grieve like this world, because our hope goes beyond this world. Every piece of bad news is meant to be a reminder to you that you aren’t home yet. Our hope extends past this world all the way to heaven, our true and final home.

Questions to Ask Yourself

1. If you were to receive bad news today, where would be the first place you would turn? Why?
2. When life throws you a curve ball, do you trust in the LORD or in your own abilities?

The LORD gives us community to show us His love in bad times. Do you have a community around you