How to deal with bad news
Author: Finn Sheridan
If there’s one thing that’s widely available in today’s world, it’s bad news. They are everywhere, every news cycle filled with stories of chaos and danger. This creates a climate of fear and anxiety, no matter where we are on the globe. This is not the case only on a global, worldwide level.
Every day I meet people who live with “what if” fear, terrified of the unknown, but realistically expecting bad news. I have to be honest and say that I find this fear contagious. Maybe you think so too.
When we look for comfort in the Bible, we may find the subject covered in a way we did not expect. We often believe the lie that Christianity means we never experience bad news again, or worse, that we should pretend bad news isn’t bad. That’s simply not true. Psalm 112 provides a description of a righteous man and in verses 7-8 we find these words:
“He will not be afraid of sad news, his heart is calm, trusting in Jehovah.” He has a brave heart, he is not afraid of anything.” (KS)
Some of us live in constant worry and fear, expecting something to go wrong in the worst possible way.
Even a righteous man or woman will experience bad news – this is part and parcel of living in a fallen world. However, for those who know Jesus, the response to bad news is different. Our body naturally reacts to fear, but as we follow God we learn a new reaction – trust.
Look at the words the psalmist uses: he is not afraid; sturdy; reliant; stable. These are our promised experiences when we trust God as we go through our bad circumstances. The way to trust in God is simply accepting that He loves us. He loves me and that’s why he will protect me. He loves me and that’s why he will see. He loves me so he will find a way. That’s why Ivan in 1. John 4:18 reminds us that there is no fear in love: knowing God’s love will cause faith and trust to flourish, while the weeds of fear will be choked out.
Bad news is inevitable, but our reaction to it is our choice. Fear may be our first reaction, but just like an Olympic diver, we can confidently jump into the deep pool of the Father’s love for us that will wash away all our fears.
