When the news hasn't come yet

"They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord. Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes."Psalm 112:7-8

We've reached the heart of the Psalm. "They will have no fear of bad news." And most of the time, the hardest part of bad news is the waiting before it arrives. It's the "I heard they're going to lay people off," the "the doctor wants to talk with you," the "we need to talk." It's the thing that might happen, and that's exactly why your mind won't let it go. We suffer ahead of time, rehearsing the worst at 3 a.m., a thousand times, over things that sometimes never even come.

If you're there right now, waiting for an answer that won't come, I know how heavy it is. And the Psalm doesn't ask you to pretend you're not afraid. It shows you where your heart can lean while it waits: "their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord." The heart isn't steadfast because it knows what's coming. It's steadfast because it knows Who is already there, in tomorrow, before you arrive.

Notice that verse 8 says it again: "Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear." Steadfast, then secure. It's as if the Psalm knew we need to hear it twice. Steadfastness, here, isn't a feeling, it's a place. It's like a boat that rocks with the tide but doesn't drift away, because it's tied to the dock. Fear may come in waves. But you are tied to Someone.

And what if the news you fear does come? The Psalm doesn't say it won't. It says you won't receive it alone. The same God who held your heart in the waiting will hold it in the answer. Today you don't have to solve tomorrow. You only have to tie your heart to the dock again.