Bad News

Do you watch the news? I know some people who refuse to because it can be so depressing. There are a lot of sad stories: school shootings, people losing their homes in devastating storms, terrible diseases, deadly car accidents, theft, etc. It can be scary to think of all the bad things happening in this broken world. Habakkuk, the author of today’s Scripture reading, got some bad news: his city would soon be overrun by its enemies, the Babylonians. After pouring out his lament to God, Habakkuk responded by saying He would trust in God no matter what happened. It takes a huge leap of faith to trust in God through the bad things, but that is what Jesus calls and equips us to do through His Holy Spirit living in us. Because He lives in us, we can hold on to His promises found in the Bible, where Jesus says He will never abandon us. And we can look forward confidently to the day when He will return to raise His people from the dead and end all bad news. In the meantime, God doesn’t promise we won’t get bad news or go through hard times. But He does promise that, if we trust in Him, we will not face anything alone. Melissa Yeagle An important part of trusting God is knowing we can be completely honest with Him, including telling Him how angry and sad we are (like Habakkuk does in 1:122:1). This practice is called lament. How does lamenting give you comfort when you face bad news? Why does Jesus give us hope in the midst of our every lament (Habakkuk 3:16-19; Romans 8:18-39)? As the Body of Christ, we are called to lift each other up during hard times. Who are some people you can help lift up right now? Who can lift you up? Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 (CSB)

Read Verses:

Habakkuk 1:1-11; 3:16-19