THE QUENCHING NATURE OF GOOD NEWS

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land.

Proverbs 25:25     

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

The year was 1997. I was in my eighth year after divorce; my fifth year after remarriage.

I was also on my second deployment in as many years, having to first been gone for six months to the Mediterranean and Black Seas in 1996 onboard the USS BRISCOE before transferring to USS NICHOLSON and deploying through the Mediterranean and the Suez Canal into the Red Sea and North and South Arabian Gulfs in 1997. Being away from home 12 out of 14 months was not easy by any means and had left me wearied by the time I was on my way home in the summer of 1997.

One of our last port visits was Eilat, Israel, a very nice resort city on the country’s southern coast. Once there, I had the opportunity to call home and after calling my wife, I called my children who I always tried to stay in touch with, even though they were living with their mother in western Pennsylvania. I so looked forward to hearing their voices and discussing the things we would do together once I got home and got some visitation time. But when I made the call, I had no idea how the Lord was going to bless me with a few spoken words.

For when I called, my former wife answered the phone and said she needed to discuss something with me. She then went on to ask me if I would be willing to take over custody of the girls upon returning home. I think I was silent for a minute, unable to say anything. The words were stunning and the answer to a prayer I had spoken over and over again for so long. I had hoped that one day I would be back together with my daughters and now it would soon become a reality.

Well, that unexpected, blessed conversation elevated my spirit to a place well above where it had been before. My weariness was replaced with a renewed sense of energy and spirit, joy and elation. I had experienced first-hand the quenching nature of good news.

Today’s proverb was what brought the mentioned experience back to the forefront of my mind today as Solomon mentioned the pleasing and refreshing nature of good news. Look at his words again:

Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land. Proverbs 25:25

There I was in Israel, standing on part of the holy, promised land that God had given to His people more than 2,000 years earlier, when He chose to bless me with good news from a distant land, good news that quenched my spirit and buoyed me up in praise unto the only One worthy of receiving it.

Now, you may say to yourself, I don’t know anyone in a distant land who I can receive good news from or send good news to. But think about it. Do we not have more opportunity today to connect with people globally than ever before? And don’t we have an obligation to share the good news of Jesus with all the world? I believe the answer to both is a resounding “YES”, particularly the latter through Christ’s command to all His disciples (Matthew 28:18-20).

So why not give this a try if you haven’t already?

Try and reach out to someone in a distant land and share with them the good news of Jesus Christ and the salvation promise He offers to everyone. It’s something I get to do every day through The Christian Walk and I feel blessed to have ministered to people on every continent, writing daily to satisfy the thirst of those who are parched and longing for some living water, living water that only comes through Jesus, the Way and the Truth and the Life, the only One who can bring us to God the Father.

Let’s take time today to give God thanks for the gift of His Son Jesus and the ability to quench others with the gospel, which is always like a cool drink to weary souls.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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