Some Good News Needed

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!…The LORD hath made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.”  Isaiah 52:7, 10

We could all surely use some good news right about now.  All the turmoil that is happening at the present time is causing much anxiety, depression, and anger among the citizens of earth.  Besides world events, most of us have things going on in our personal lives that we wish were not happening, but it is what it is.  We bring some of our troubles on ourselves because of bad decisions and not considering the consequences of our actions, but not everything that goes wrong is our fault.  Many things happen over which we have no control.  We try to keep it together, to keep an optimistic outlook on life, and accept things that we can’t change, but that doesn’t always give us a calm assurance that everything will turn out for the best.  We keep hearing conflicting reports on the news, and we never know what to believe.  Commentators tell us that we are being lied to, but how do we tell the difference between truth and the lies we hear via media?  God never lies to us.  If what we hear can’t be supported by His word, then it is probably “a lie out of hell, and it smells like smoke”, to quote radio preacher Steve Brown.

If you think about it, all we really have are the promises of God to love, provide for, and bring us to our eternal home when we pass from this life.  That’s good news, of course, but we still must deal with the world with all its troubles and our own personal situations for now.  Life is not easy, and it certainly isn’t fair by man’s definition.  As bad as we think it is, we don’t have to look very far to find those whose troubles are much worse than our own.  I am ashamed of the petty little things that cause me to fret, and then I am reminded of just how good God has been to me, and I then thank Him for all His blessings.

Depending upon personalities and circumstances, “good news” means different things to different individuals.  The best news that a believer in Christ can hear is that someone for whom he or she has been praying to become a Christian has repented and placed faith in Jesus Christ.  That is the most important thing in life, but multitudes do not even consider eternity nor living for Christ as urgent matters in their lives.  The prophet Isaiah described the person who spreads God’s word among others as having beautiful feet.  Most of us don’t consider our feet our best feature.  I mean, feet are kind of ugly, but they sure are wonderful to help us get around and do what we do every day.  When we use our feet to go witness for Christ and to serve the Lord, we are spreading good news to those who are desperate to hear how they can be forgiven and learn to live a life of peace and joy.

Isaiah also spoke of God’s holy arm.  Webster’s Dictionary tells us that the term “arm” can be “anything thought of as armlike, especially in being attached or connected to something larger, as, for instance, the “arm of the sea” or “the long arm of the law”.  God’s arm of power reaches to all parts of the earth.  There is no place that is hidden from Him, not even Russia or Ukraine.  Jesus is an extension of God’s arm whom God held out to the people of earth, and is still holding out, to bring reconciliation and salvation.

Most of us are wondering why God is allowing this carnage in Ukraine by the tyrant in Russia.  I don’t have any answers, but I know that God never makes a mistake.  The Russian dictator is doing his dirty work because he is a man controlled by Satan.  Scripture tells us that Satan roams about the earth seeking whom he may devour (I Peter 5:8), and that he is the “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2).  As we have witnessed, though, the devil can also do his dirty work while enclosed in his bunker.  He is working overtime in the heart of the Russian dictator and in the hearts of those who do his bidding.  Satan knows his time is short, so he does as much damage as possible.  He may use his feet through the men and women who have given their allegiance to him to roam and create chaos over the earth, but we can use our feet to spread the good news of the gospel by the power of the Holy Spirit, the only true hope for the people of earth.