Here’s some good news: God still cares

It’s easy to focus on what is wrong right now. Yet, God is not sitting on the sidelines. He is at work, as He always is, showing mercy and granting help. So, allow me to give you some good news in the midst of the storm.

Last Wednesday night, March 18, I met online with nine online ministry school. One 70-year-old asked for prayer for her husband. (We’ll call her Miriam and him Bob.)

Bob is 73-years-old and has three health challenges, including a compromised respiratory from his service as a cop in Manhattan on 9/11. Now, Bob had COVID-19. This was serious business.

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As Miriam described it, Bob “felt pretty bad for a few days with chills, fever, muscle aches and basically no energy.”

So we prayed for Bob and Miriam who also lived New York – a stronghold of the coronavirus.

Nothing changed immediately and Miriam herself was experiencing some symptoms as well. So, her pastor prayed for her over the phone.

She describes what happened next: “I felt something lift off my face and I felt better right away. All Praise to the Lord Jesus!”

That was the first immediate answer to prayer. But there was one more to come.

Miriam wrote, “The next day, my husband Bill was 100% better. We are rejoicing and are most grateful to Jesus for His mercy towards us. We are also so grateful for you and the others who prayed for us!”

This is really good news.

Bob’s pre-existing conditions, coupled with his age, made his situation very precarious. But by the Lord, by His grace, made Him well. Thank God!

Bob and Miriam’s children are in the medical field, working in hotspot areas. She wrote them, “we are not slackening the bow just yet. However! We are alive and well! Because He Lives, we can face the future.”

The battle is far from over, but one major victory has been won. Let us be thankful and encouraged.

There is also a good principle we can take from this piece of very good news. Simply stated, bad things will always be here. Really bad things. Things like sickness and war and death.

There will be suffering on this planet until Jesus comes – lots of suffering. And many of the people we pray for will die.

But if we only focus on the loss and the pain, we will quickly lose hope and become disheartened. Then, rather than helping others, we will find ourselves stuck in a deep rut of despair. Of what use is that? How does that alleviate our pain or the pain of others?

Instead, while recognizing the urgent needs around us, we must focus on the Lord and what He is doing. That will bring life and light and faith and hope. That will lift us up, enabling us to lift others up as well. Others need to hear good news as well.

Good news is uplifting. Good news is encouraging. People want to share good news.

The Book of Proverbs states that, “good news gives health to the bones” (Proverbs 15:30). Yes, “Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land” (Proverbs 25:25).

So, let’s find some good news and let’s share it widely.

In times like these, people really need to hear it.

As it is written in a very different context, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news” (Isaiah 52:7).

Let your feet be beautiful today. Bring some good news to others.