“He will not be afraid of [bad news]: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.” – Psalm 112:7, NKJV

I have heard several people say that they don’t consume our local news bulletins or read newspapers because they are ‘full of bad news.’

However, ‘bad news’ is inevitable and unavoidable. If it’s not the loss of a loved one or something valuable, it could be a doctor’s report, an opportunity that hasn’t come through or someone you love disappointing you.

In our meditation today is from a psalm in which the poet enumerates the blessings of the “God-fearing man.”

I once heard someone say that Psalm 112 is the blessed man’s equivalent of the Proverbs 31 ‘virtuous woman.’

Verse 7 says of the blessed man; “He will not fear bad news, his heart is fixed.” I saw another version that says; “his heart is set.”

The word ‘set’ is an engineering term used by builders to describe concrete when it dries.

When concrete ‘sets,’ it becomes as good as a rock – extremely hard to break up.

What all that means is that while the God-fearing man might receive bad news like everyone else, he will remain calm and unshakable because his heart is fixed, set and steadfast through trusting that the Lord remains in total control.

Indeed, the Bible is full of men who remained steadfast even after receiving terrible news.

Take the example of Job, previously a very wealthy man, who lost everything in a matter of hours.

While the only survivor was still breaking the news, someone else would come in with even worse ‘breaking news’: “Sir, all your sons and daughters have perished at a party”!

Later, he received yet another devastating doctor’s report about his own health. However, Job was not in the least shaken because his heart was fixed.

“The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the Name of the LORD” (Job 1:21). Oh come on now brother Job; your entire family has been wiped out!

Job’s story ends in Chapter 42 with Job producing ten children to replace the ones he lost, including three girls who were described as the “most beautiful women in the country.”

When our heart is settled in trusting in the Lord, it will be immovable by the negative things we may hear.

The other man who comes to mind is the apostle Paul.

In Acts 21:10-13, we read the story of how Prophet Agabus took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it while proclaiming  that it was what the Jews at Jerusalem were going to do to Paul.

On hearing the terrible news from the prophet’s mouth, all the alarmed believers went on their knees begging Paul not to dare go to Jerusalem.

Listen to Paul’s response, totally unmoved: “What do you mean weeping and trying to break my heart? I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” Talk about a fixed heart!

Indeed, it was because of that final journey to Jerusalem that we have the ‘Prison Epistles,’ which were written while Paul was in prison following his arrest.

So, how do you handle and process bad news?

What all this shows is that how we respond to bad news is an indication of the state of our heart.

When our heart is settled in trusting in the Lord, it will be immovable by the negative things we may hear. It will be set and fixed.    

Prayer:

Almighty God, whatever bad news comes my way, I will always choose to believe the report of the LORD! With You in my heart, I can never be shaken by any bad news. My heart will always be fixed, trusting in You. Amen!