By Joseph A. Perry

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; and he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, that he The Lord might be glorified.” Isaiah 1-3

I was standing in line in a department store waiting to pay for my items, when a lady in front of me said, “Do you know what? There’s a lot going on.” She said I hear about all of the fires and shootings, and I hear about so much hurt, harm and danger around the world, that I just need some good news. She said, “Sir, do you have any good news?”

Listening to her share turned a light on for me to see that she’s right; we need to hear something good. We all need to hear something good. We need to hear a word to lift up our day, a word to make us feel better. We need a word that has the ability to even turn our situation around in these critical and crucial last days.

That’s what Isaiah was sharing during his time to the people of God. He said the Spirit of the Lord is upon me to preach, to share good news to those who need it. The truth of the matter is you can always find it in God’s word. Even if you can’t see it anywhere else, there is always good news in God’s word.

The good news will always:

4Bind up the broken-hearted. If your heart has been broken, you can always find comfort in His word. During this season, a lot of people’s hearts are broken because someone who was here last year is not here this year. The good news of God’s word will lift us and keep us going, to let us know, it’s going to be all right after a while.

4Brighten up the poor. Did you know that there are so many less fortunate people in our communities, in our world? The Bible says the poor will always be present. We who are able must reach out and brighten up those who are in need in life. It’s our job to lift those who are struggling, those who are in need, to not look the other way. The good news is that the Lord will always send someone to help you, and he may not come when you want Him to, but He’s always on time.

4Bring out the captive. If you are in a bind, the good news is He can lift you up and out. When you get out, don’t go back. I know you may never think that you’re going to get out, but through the power of God, He can do it physically, He’ll do it psychologically, He can do it financially, or He can do it spiritually.

If you keep hearing the good news of God’s word, it will bless you in the mist of all life issues to let you know, trouble don’t last always. The word will let you know, Emmanuel is with you, and He will be present even until the end of time.

 

The Rev. Dr. Joseph A. Perry is pastor of St. Mark AME Zion Church. Contact him at josephp134@gmail.com.