​Good News of Great Joy

By Jill Perry

"I'm really struggling. Please pray for me..."
"I could really use prayer today..."
"Something you could pray for..."

On a recent morning I received at least 6 texts and calls that began this way. It is
such an honor to intercede for the people I love. But sometimes it's a challenge to
do so without taking on their emotions as my own. On this particular day the bad
news seemed to far outweigh the good, and I found myself agreeing with Anne
Murray who sang a song when I was a kid that said, "We sure could use a little
good news today."
GOOD NEWS of GREAT JOY! Isn't that what the angel
heralded on that holy night? The long-awaited Messiah was born in a time &
place with a paranoid king on the throne and a power-hungry government in the
land. Political, cultural, and personal tension was high. Sound familiar? Our
world is frought with political polarization, cultural confusion, and personal pain.
Some GOOD NEWS is definitely needed!
As I prayed for each situation, I began to cry out to God for some GOOD NEWS, and one by one, over the next few days, I began to receive praise reports. Some were BIG and some were so small, they might have been overlooked if one hadn't been expecting God to move.
The GOOD is ALWAYS there. We just have to look for it, and thank God for it,
regardless of how big or how small it may seem. I asked God to keep the GOOD
NEWS coming and that the GOOD NEWS would FAR OUTWEIGH the bad
news! I told Him that I wanted my praises for answered prayers to FAR
OUTWEIGH my prayers for answers!
The shepherds’ response to the GOOD NEWS was to hurry to see for themselves and to praise God. In other words, they went LOOKING FOR the GOOD NEWS! And when they found it (Him), they responded in praise. Even the wise men, who likely did not worship the One True God, followed the star to find this GOOD NEWS.
Their response? They were so ecstatic that they shouted & celebrated with unrestrained joy, fell to the ground, and worshiped Him!
They didn't just happen upon this newborn King. They went looking for Him.
Are you weary from the bad news as you scroll social media, listen to the news, or experience it in your own life? Me too!
Won't you join me in asking God to make the GOOD NEWS far outweigh the bad news
as we close out 2019 and move into 2020?
Let's make a point to intentionally LOOK FOR the GOOD NEWS, and better yet, let's be the ones who herald the GOOD NEWS to others!
How can you share GOOD NEWS of GREAT JOY with someone else in the midst of their own bad news?