Quick Note – Psalm 112:7-8 – No Fear

Psalm 112:7-8 – “He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.  His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.”

One of the reasons why people hate visiting the doctor’s office is fear.  They aren’t afraid of the doctor himself or the various procedures he does, but they are afraid of hearing him say the words, “[Insert your name here], you may want to sit down.  Your test results came in, and we have some disheartening news, you have [insert sickness].”  Those words are devastating for both the patient and the patient’s family.  I remember, just a year ago, my mom went to the doctor to have some skin moles checked for the possibility of cancer.  Some of them looked suspicious so the doctor took some biopsy samples and told her he would give her a call in a week or so about the results.  While we were on vacation in Alaska, she was called by the doctor and received some unwelcome news – she had early-stage melanoma in one of her moles.  We couldn’t believe what we just heard, and the rest of our vacation was a little tough, because the bad news continued to linger in our minds.  I personally was afraid.  I was scared for my mom and the possibility of losing her.  I was worried.  Thankfully, when we returned, we found out that the biopsy took out most of it, and she was able to remove the rest of it quickly without the need for any other procedure.  But the news itself brought fear and worry into my life. 

Psalm 112 in its entirety describes some of the blessings which are experienced by the man who fears the Lord and finds great delight in His commands.  He is blessed with children (vs. 2), wealth and riches (vs. 3), enduring righteousness (vs.3), and light in the darkness (vs.4).  One of these blessings is described in our passage today, “He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.  His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.”  The man who fears the Lord and finds great delight in His commands is blessed with steadfastness and confidence in the midst of turmoil and bad news.  When most people are fearful of receiving bad news or faltering during the trial, he is without fear, for he knows where He has placed his trust – in the LORD God of the universe who will deliver in His time.  There is no doubt.  There is no wavering.  There is no second-guessing.  There is only a complete trust in the Lord.  As Christians, we must develop this same type of faith, for we have the same God who is all-powerful, all-loving, and all-willing to do what is best for us.  Romans 8:32 states, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?”  How can we ever worry or think that the God who loved us so much that He gave His only Son for us would not give us deliverance from trouble?  We can definitely stand firm on Him – our Rock and our Redeemer.  This does not mean that bad news should be ignored or treated as imaginary, for bad news is still bad news.  But it means that even in the midst of this news, there is no fear, for there is a complete trust in a faithful God.  If we truly fear God and delight in His commands, we will not fear the possibility of bad news, for we will know that all things, including bad news, will work together for good for them that love God (Romans 8:28).  We will delight in the Lord using our lives for His glory.  We need not falter or fear troubling news, for we can trust our faithful God. 

Quick Note – Psalm 112:7-8 – No Fear

Psalm 112:7-8 – “He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.  His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.”

One of the reasons why people hate visiting the doctor’s office is fear.  They aren’t afraid of the doctor himself or the various procedures he does, but they are afraid of hearing him say the words, “[Insert your name here], you may want to sit down.  Your test results came in, and we have some disheartening news, you have [insert sickness].”  Those words are devastating for both the patient and the patient’s family.  I remember, just a year ago, my mom went to the doctor to have some skin moles checked for the possibility of cancer.  Some of them looked suspicious so the doctor took some biopsy samples and told her he would give her a call in a week or so about the results.  While we were on vacation in Alaska, she was called by the doctor and received some unwelcome news – she had early-stage melanoma in one of her moles.  We couldn’t believe what we just heard, and the rest of our vacation was a little tough, because the bad news continued to linger in our minds.  I personally was afraid.  I was scared for my mom and the possibility of losing her.  I was worried.  Thankfully, when we returned, we found out that the biopsy took out most of it, and she was able to remove the rest of it quickly without the need for any other procedure.  But the news itself brought fear and worry into my life. 

Psalm 112 in its entirety describes some of the blessings which are experienced by the man who fears the Lord and finds great delight in His commands.  He is blessed with children (vs. 2), wealth and riches (vs. 3), enduring righteousness (vs.3), and light in the darkness (vs.4).  One of these blessings is described in our passage today, “He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.  His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.”  The man who fears the Lord and finds great delight in His commands is blessed with steadfastness and confidence in the midst of turmoil and bad news.  When most people are fearful of receiving bad news or faltering during the trial, he is without fear, for he knows where He has placed his trust – in the LORD God of the universe who will deliver in His time.  There is no doubt.  There is no wavering.  There is no second-guessing.  There is only a complete trust in the Lord.  As Christians, we must develop this same type of faith, for we have the same God who is all-powerful, all-loving, and all-willing to do what is best for us.  Romans 8:32 states, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?”  How can we ever worry or think that the God who loved us so much that He gave His only Son for us would not give us deliverance from trouble?  We can definitely stand firm on Him – our Rock and our Redeemer.  This does not mean that bad news should be ignored or treated as imaginary, for bad news is still bad news.  But it means that even in the midst of this news, there is no fear, for there is a complete trust in a faithful God.  If we truly fear God and delight in His commands, we will not fear the possibility of bad news, for we will know that all things, including bad news, will work together for good for them that love God (Romans 8:28).  We will delight in the Lord using our lives for His glory.  We need not falter or fear troubling news, for we can trust our faithful God. 

Quick Note – Psalm 112:7-8 – No Fear

Psalm 112:7-8 – “He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.  His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.”

One of the reasons why people hate visiting the doctor’s office is fear.  They aren’t afraid of the doctor himself or the various procedures he does, but they are afraid of hearing him say the words, “[Insert your name here], you may want to sit down.  Your test results came in, and we have some disheartening news, you have [insert sickness].”  Those words are devastating for both the patient and the patient’s family.  I remember, just a year ago, my mom went to the doctor to have some skin moles checked for the possibility of cancer.  Some of them looked suspicious so the doctor took some biopsy samples and told her he would give her a call in a week or so about the results.  While we were on vacation in Alaska, she was called by the doctor and received some unwelcome news – she had early-stage melanoma in one of her moles.  We couldn’t believe what we just heard, and the rest of our vacation was a little tough, because the bad news continued to linger in our minds.  I personally was afraid.  I was scared for my mom and the possibility of losing her.  I was worried.  Thankfully, when we returned, we found out that the biopsy took out most of it, and she was able to remove the rest of it quickly without the need for any other procedure.  But the news itself brought fear and worry into my life. 

Psalm 112 in its entirety describes some of the blessings which are experienced by the man who fears the Lord and finds great delight in His commands.  He is blessed with children (vs. 2), wealth and riches (vs. 3), enduring righteousness (vs.3), and light in the darkness (vs.4).  One of these blessings is described in our passage today, “He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.  His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.”  The man who fears the Lord and finds great delight in His commands is blessed with steadfastness and confidence in the midst of turmoil and bad news.  When most people are fearful of receiving bad news or faltering during the trial, he is without fear, for he knows where He has placed his trust – in the LORD God of the universe who will deliver in His time.  There is no doubt.  There is no wavering.  There is no second-guessing.  There is only a complete trust in the Lord.  As Christians, we must develop this same type of faith, for we have the same God who is all-powerful, all-loving, and all-willing to do what is best for us.  Romans 8:32 states, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?”  How can we ever worry or think that the God who loved us so much that He gave His only Son for us would not give us deliverance from trouble?  We can definitely stand firm on Him – our Rock and our Redeemer.  This does not mean that bad news should be ignored or treated as imaginary, for bad news is still bad news.  But it means that even in the midst of this news, there is no fear, for there is a complete trust in a faithful God.  If we truly fear God and delight in His commands, we will not fear the possibility of bad news, for we will know that all things, including bad news, will work together for good for them that love God (Romans 8:28).  We will delight in the Lord using our lives for His glory.  We need not falter or fear troubling news, for we can trust our faithful God. 

Quick Note – Psalm 112:7-8 – No Fear

Psalm 112:7-8 – “He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.  His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.”

One of the reasons why people hate visiting the doctor’s office is fear.  They aren’t afraid of the doctor himself or the various procedures he does, but they are afraid of hearing him say the words, “[Insert your name here], you may want to sit down.  Your test results came in, and we have some disheartening news, you have [insert sickness].”  Those words are devastating for both the patient and the patient’s family.  I remember, just a year ago, my mom went to the doctor to have some skin moles checked for the possibility of cancer.  Some of them looked suspicious so the doctor took some biopsy samples and told her he would give her a call in a week or so about the results.  While we were on vacation in Alaska, she was called by the doctor and received some unwelcome news – she had early-stage melanoma in one of her moles.  We couldn’t believe what we just heard, and the rest of our vacation was a little tough, because the bad news continued to linger in our minds.  I personally was afraid.  I was scared for my mom and the possibility of losing her.  I was worried.  Thankfully, when we returned, we found out that the biopsy took out most of it, and she was able to remove the rest of it quickly without the need for any other procedure.  But the news itself brought fear and worry into my life. 

Psalm 112 in its entirety describes some of the blessings which are experienced by the man who fears the Lord and finds great delight in His commands.  He is blessed with children (vs. 2), wealth and riches (vs. 3), enduring righteousness (vs.3), and light in the darkness (vs.4).  One of these blessings is described in our passage today, “He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.  His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.”  The man who fears the Lord and finds great delight in His commands is blessed with steadfastness and confidence in the midst of turmoil and bad news.  When most people are fearful of receiving bad news or faltering during the trial, he is without fear, for he knows where He has placed his trust – in the LORD God of the universe who will deliver in His time.  There is no doubt.  There is no wavering.  There is no second-guessing.  There is only a complete trust in the Lord.  As Christians, we must develop this same type of faith, for we have the same God who is all-powerful, all-loving, and all-willing to do what is best for us.  Romans 8:32 states, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?”  How can we ever worry or think that the God who loved us so much that He gave His only Son for us would not give us deliverance from trouble?  We can definitely stand firm on Him – our Rock and our Redeemer.  This does not mean that bad news should be ignored or treated as imaginary, for bad news is still bad news.  But it means that even in the midst of this news, there is no fear, for there is a complete trust in a faithful God.  If we truly fear God and delight in His commands, we will not fear the possibility of bad news, for we will know that all things, including bad news, will work together for good for them that love God (Romans 8:28).  We will take delight that the Lord is using our lives for His glory.  We need not falter or fear troubling news, for we can trust our faithful God. 

Quick Note – Proverbs 12:18 – Words Can Hurt!

Proverbs 12:18 – “There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”

Recently, I watched a Geico commercial poke fun at the maxim, “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”  In the commercial, the spokesperson said, “Did you know that words can really hurt you?”  Then, it switched to a parody of an old Western movie ending, where a cowboy rides off into the sunset and leaves his lady love as the words “THE END” came up on the screen.  Usually, when those words show up, the cowboy just phases through them as if they weren’t there, but in this commercial, he bumps into it and falls off the horse.  Words did really hurt!  Although this commercial played on the idea of “words hurting” in a clever physical way, on a more serious sense, words do actually hurt in an emotional and spiritual way.  Often times, we don’t take our words seriously, because it leaves no lasting mark physically, but words can leave a scar emotionally that can never go away.  I have caught myself often saying things that I regret moments later, when I have realized what I just said.  Instead of taking the time to consider my words before speaking, I speak rashly oftentimes to my regret.  For example, just a few days ago, I snapped at my coworker because I was in a bad mood.  I didn’t say anything that was offensive, but I did say things in a way and tone that were not honoring to God.  I hurt my Christian witness and actually caused my coworker to wonder if I was okay or not.  Those words must have had an impact and could have hurt.  Thankfully, she was caring and forgiving and did not take it as an offense, but those impetuous words could have really done some damage. 

Our proverb today is just a short reminder of something we all already know – that our words have an impact and that we should watch what we say.  Our words can be used as swords aimed at killing or tools of healing, comfort, and encouragement.  As disciples of Jesus Christ, we must be wary how we use our words for they are an important part of our witness.  In James 3, we are reminded of the power of the tongue.  It is something that cannot be tamed and should always be looked over carefully.  Very often, we find ourselves using our tongues just as James described – instruments of both blessing and cursing.  But this should not be so.  Our words should be used to bring honor and glory to God, to draw people to Him, and to encourage our brethren.  Let us commit ourselves to using our words to heal not to hurt, to bring life not to kill, to encourage not destroy.  Next time, you find yourself ready to speak out rashly (quickly and without thinking), consider what it will do to your witness and hold your tongue.  And instead, use it to praise God.