Bad news is everywhere. Even people who follow news and politics religiously (like me) occasionally need to take a break to escape what sometimes feels like a neverending stream of negative and depressing news. Wars, natural disasters, economic downturns, angry politics… is there any end to the bad news?

Although it sometimes feels like things could not possibly have ever been worse, we’re not the first people to feel overwhelmed by bad news. In fact, even a cursory glimpse at history will show that our own bad news often pales in comparison to what others have endured. In this Slice of Infinity devotional, Margaret Manning observes this phenomenon in the life of one of the best-known figures in the Bible:

These “bad news” stories are even more difficult to deal with because they are not simply news stories affecting someone else; they are real stories of the everyday realities of people all around me, and including me. Close friends have loved ones in Iraq and Afghanistan. Colleagues struggle to make ends meet, and wonder how they can continue to keep up with the rising costs associated with gas and food. And I know several people personally who have had to be evacuated as the flood waters of the Cumberland River came pouring into their homes. Necessities become negotiable and disappear altogether. For many, these are extraordinarily dark times.

While these particular circumstances are specific to our context, extraordinarily dark times are sadly nothing new. Even the greatest of leaders in the ancient world were not immune to trouble and despair. David, the great king of Israel, experienced many difficulties throughout his life. And when he experienced trouble, he turned to poetry. Psalm 18, as one example, appears to have been a poem written after the experience of deliverance from national enemies and the current king of Israel, King Saul.

But despair and negativity don’t have the final word when God is involved. Read the rest of the devotional at Slice of Infinity to find out how God stands ready to rescue us from even the bleakest situation.

By: Andy. This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 11th, 2010 at 10:44 am and is filed under Devotional. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.