Who’s feeling a bit burned out on bad news? Yeah, me too.
It seems like we’re not only the victims of bad news around our world, but that the news is going from bad to worse. And more than that, we just can’t get away from it.
Locked down in our homes. Glued to screens because we work more online now than ever before. And it’s just honestly what everyone is talking about. The news.
Political news. COVID news. Sports news. Weather news. Opinions about the news. Opinions about opinions about the news. It all gives us one big information hangover.
Today, God wants you to hear his good news. There’s a bunch of it in Isaiah chapter 40.
“Comfort, comfort my people, says your God” (v. 1). God communicates with you for your comfort, not to exploit you and enrage you. No matter who you are or what you’ve done, he wants to be your God and comfort you.
“And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken” (v. 5). God’s glory is blazing and brilliant. Nobody can look at him and live. But he has packaged his glory for us in things we can see, touch and enjoy—his Son Jesus, the water of baptism, the bread and wine of holy communion, the pages of a Bible. Look for him there. Who is able to see it? “All people.”
“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever” (v. 8). The daily news can’t decide whose truth is true. Opinions come and go like the grass and flowers fade every winter. God’s good news has no limits, cannot be cancelled and is always good.
“See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm” (v. 10). Google, Facebook, YouTube, network channels and Twitter are nothing compared to God’s broadcasting network. He rules. He is sovereign. His news will never be silenced.
“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak” (vv. 28,29). God isn’t fatigued as he watches our world. He isn’t frustrated and we haven’t exhausted his kindness. He wants to help. He wants to save. He understands more than we know. We can trust him to deliver, to dominate and to strengthen those who trust him.
PRAYER: Dear God of good news, your promises and faithful words refresh my spirit as I hear all of the bad news in this world. Fulfill my desire to tune into your good news more than media. Amen.
FURTHER MEDITATION: Prayerfully consider your intake of news and media throughout the day. What if you would replace some of it with focusing on God’s good news in the Bible, or memorizing Bible verses, or listening to Christian music? Try it this week!