Confidently Trusting the Lord

We live in a world today when all you hear is bad news. On the line in the supermarket people are talking about Covid-19. We all know someone who died during the pandemic. Some died from the virus while others died from other ailments. People are unemployed and unemployment is on the rise. Many companies are no longer in existence. The future is filled with uncertainty because the experts say that things will only get worse.

As people of faith what do we do? Do we join the bandwagon and participate in the culture of doom and gloom? Yes we have been impacted with the bad news but how do we respond? David spoke about the people of faith in the midst of bad news and evil tidings. In Psalm 112:7 he said, “They do not fear bad news they confidently trust the Lord to care for them.” Our reaction is different in the face of bad news.

You might shake your head and say, “That’s easy for you to say. You have no idea what I went through and still is going through.”  Yes I have no idea but there is one who knows. When we look at Job’s life, he went through something that is probably just as traumatic as the issue you are facing. Job got up one morning and the skies were blue; the birds were singing and the butterflies were flying around. His children were together at their oldest brother’s house. Job got some news that rocked his world. Job 1:14-15 says, “Your oxen were plowing, with the donkeys feeding beside them, when the Sabeans raided us. They stole all the animals and killed all the farmhands. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”

Wow! As Job was processing this information, verses 16-18 begins the same way: “While he was still speaking, another messenger arrived with this news:” Job received more bad news. When everything was over Job lost his children, his livestock, his servants and all his wealth.  What was Job’s response to all of this? Verses 20-22 says, “ Job stood up and tore his robe in grief. Then he shaved his head and fell to the ground to worship.  He said, “I came naked from my mother’s womb,  and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!” In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God.”

Did Job really do that? Yes he did. It does not mean that he didn’t love his children or cared about his livestock and his servants. He did. But he was not going to allow any bad news to erode his trust in God. He was not the only character in the Bible who experienced hard times. David was anointed King of Israel but had to run for his life because Saul vowed to kill him. While he was hiding in a cave, he wrote these words in Psalm 57:1, “Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy! I look to you for protection. I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings until the danger passes by.”

Like Job, David knew that in spite of the evil tidings, his trust was in God. I know that it can be difficult to trust God during these times but not impossible. Why? Hebrews 13:5 says, “For God has said, “I will never fail you.  I will never abandon you.” You are not alone.  Yes the news is bad but just like David and Job, you can confidently trust in the Lord to care for you.