The Sound of Good News

Bird house in the snow

I stepped outside and heard it for the first time in months: a bird

singing! Everything in me stopped to tune in and listen. It was the sound of good news. Spring is coming!

So you need good news? Chances are you won't hear it on the internet or read about it in the news. It's possible you won't hear it on the job or when you talk with friends about their struggles. You won't hear it at the grocery checkout. Perhaps you haven't heard good news from your doctor lately.

We need good news! Here are five verses from Psalm 40 in the New Living Bible that I've found to be good news:

"I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,

And he turned to me and heard my cry." Psalm 40:1 NL

1. God hears our cry.

I've read this verse a hundred times, and it still brings tears of gratitude to my eyes.

I've done a lot of crying throughout my cancer journey, and it's comforting to know the Lord always hears me.

"Now that you have made me listen,

I finally understand..." 40:6

2. God wants us to hear Him, and He will give us understanding.

   Sometimes our problems muffle our ability to hear God's word. But He promises to help us listen. We must, however, consider the possibility that if we aren't hearing God, it's because we're not crying out for help. I've been there.

   I'm not referring to an audible voice of God, though that would be nice. We "hear" God in the pages of the Bible. We "hear" God in our thoughts when the Holy Spirit reminds us of what is true. I know God is speaking to me when an unexpected thought, seemingly out of the blue and much smarter than me, stops me in my tracks, and makes me consider: God is this You?

   
   

   When the voice of our problems shouts so loudly we can't think, that's when I go to my husband, or call a trusted friend. Often, it's not until I voice my thoughts outloud that I recognize which ones are lies from the enemy. God knows our limitations. He knows we need a reachable, practical understanding to walk through the not-so-good times. James 1:5 says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you."

"He lifted me out of the pit of despair,

out of the mud and the mire.

He set my feet on solid ground... Psalm 40:2

3. He will set us on solid ground.

I used to misinterpret this verse. I somehow picked up the notion that it was MY job to climb out of the muck and get myself to a solid place. At one point in this cancer journey, I saw myself standing on the edge of a deep ravine. I was terrified. I could see the solid ground of peace way on the other side, but my legs were not long enough to jump over the cliff. I wanted to be on solid ground. I wanted to move in faith rather than fear, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't bridge the abyss to get where I knew I should be. Then a thought crossed my mind: I knew it was God. "I must lift you there."

"... and steaded me as I walked."

4. We don't have to walk alone.

   "How can two walk together unless they be in agreement? (Amos 3:3).

The good news is that we have a tenderhearted heavenly Father who wants us to walk together every moment of the day. He steadies us when we falter. He doesn't throw us to the wolves. He will cause us to hear Him when the volume of the battle blocks our ability to hear. He will steady us when we waver in our faith.

When I was told that the cancer had spread, I experienced a fear like none other. I didn't need to be reprimanded about God not giving us a spirit of fear, I needed to be reminded that I have a loving Father who will hear my cry, give me all the understanding I need, and steady me every step of the way.

"I am poor and needy

YET, the Lord thinketh upon me."

Psalm 40:17 KJV

5. God will show us how to battle.

This scripture became my battle plan. Whenever my circumstances became too overwhelming, I'd put on my coat and hat and walk up and down my long driveway. I called it my: "Yet Strip." Let me explain:

The Hebrew word for "yet" means "nevertheless". I might be poor and needy for a myriad of reasons; nevertheless, the Lord is thinking about me. "Thinketh" is not having a casual thought about something. It means to interpenetrate like a weaving. Our heavenly Father's thoughts are full of life, full of healing, and peace. He is weaving new life into us with every thought.

That becomes my declaration as I stomp up and down my driveway. I might be needy, but I'm not afraid. I might be in a battle, but every moment of every day, the Creator of Heaven and Earth is thinking about me!

Now that's the sound of good news! What do you think?

I have two new minibooks.

A modern-day parable

about a young man who

thinks that the gift he's

been given is worthless

compared to his neighbor.

Discussion questions are

included.

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This little book is my

personal testimony.

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