The Good News

Dear Mom and Dad, we need your prayers!
This was the first message I saw on my computer this morning. I braced myself as I read on. Another job in jeopardy, another family facing the harsh realities of the economy. This time it was one of my own.
I close my eyes and pray, asking God for strength for all of us. I ask for His protection and blessings for this family. My mind flashes through a litany of scriptures that reassure me God is in control and He has a plan. From Him alone comes the strength I need. From Him comes the assurance my family will be okay.
To say there is much pain and suffering in the world today would be an understatement. The difference for me now is it has infiltrated my life in ways I would have thought impossible a year ago. Family and friends facing bankruptcies, loss of jobs, loss of homes. Grown children returning home to live with aging parents. Parents worried how they will feed their children. I ask myself why? It was not supposed to be this way.
The down turn in our economy has forced us to reassess our lives. Scripture tells us not to store up treasures on earth that can easily be taken from us. That stands in stark contrast to our society which defines itself by its many possessions. But now, given the economic carnage all around us, we cautiously approach even the smallest purchase.
In her book The Hiding Place, Corrie Ten Boom said,” The more I have to live for the less I need to live on”. During the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands, Corrie was a prisoner in a concentration camp. Stripped of both her family and possessions she found the strength to persevere through her belief in God. Sharing her faith with other prisoners, preaching the good news where there was none, and giving them hope in their darkest hours. Corrie said she had"learned to hold things loosely in her hands",knowing it would be easier to let them go if they were taken away.
So I asked myself,"where is the good news in this message, God"? Can there be only despair ahead? No! It is the same message of hope Corrie preached in that concentration camp many years ago. A message two thousand years old. A message that tells us in our darkest hours He will be there. A message that says;

When we say, “It’s impossible.” God says,” With Me all things are possible.” Luke 18:27
We say,” I can’t go on“. He says,” My grace is sufficient for you.” Corinthians 12:9 12:9
We say,” I don’t know what to do.” He says, “I will direct you.” Proverbs 3:6
We say, “I can’t make ends meet”. He says, “I will supple all your needs.” Philippians 4:19
We say,” I am alone.” He says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

So will I cry with my child? Yes. Will I feel the pain? Absolutely. I will walk with them through their darkest hours and their greatest fears. However, I know on the other side there is light and I know when one door closes another opens, because He told me so. I believe, I have faith, and this gives me the assurances I need to share with family and friends. I am grateful for my faith, I did not always have it and I know what it is to live without it. I am grateful for his words that sustain me.

And that my friend is the good news.