responding to bad news

Responding To Bad News
“Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.”
Read Matthew 14
Introduction:
Typhoon Ondoy has added something to the list of woes experienced by people during the month of September. The worst in recent memory is the September 11, 2001 death of nearly 3,000 persons in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania. On September 16, 1992, flood-related incidents killed 900 persons in Pakistan. On September 21, 1991, an earthquake in Central Taiwan killed 2,295 people. On September 4, 2004 Hurricane Frances devastated Florida with 40 million dollars in damage. Typhoon Ondoy cannot hope to compete with other calamities in terms of number of people killed and damage computed in either dollars or pesos. But the opposite is just true: Other calamity cannot compete with Typhoon Ondoy in the way it bruised, lacerated and wounded the national psyche; this woundedness will take a long, long time to heal. Life is such that we cannot avoid hearing bad news.
The word Provident has taken on a new meaning. Ordinarily, it means providing for future needs but now the experience of the people in Provident Village will cause people to think of Provident as disaster, death, defeat and discouragement. How do we respond to bad news?


SATURDAY: EVEN BELIEVERS ARE NOT EXEMPTED FROM TIREDNESS AND FEARS. BUT A CORRECT UNDERSTANDING OF OUR SITUATION WILL BRING US INVIGORATION AND COURAGE.
Matthew 14:24 But the boat was already many stadia away from the land, battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were frightened, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."
Imagine this: the disciples were rowing with all their might towards the other side of the lake. The Lord was not with them at that precise moment. They were out there by the lake by themselves. We do not know how far they were from the land but the situation was that their boat was already battered by the waves. It was the fourth watch or around 3 AM and they have not yet reached the other side.
Some of the disciples were expert fishermen and would know the waters of the lake. But there was a strong wind, and along with it, the waves. They were helpless and helplessness erodes our courage and confidence. Then, to add to their problem at hand, they saw what seemed like a ghost. They , in fact, concluded that the one walking was a ghost. It was a popular story, after all. Discouraged, tired and afraid;. What do you do? They did not know what to do. But they heard a familiar voice, an all too familiar voice. The person says: “"Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid." Here is a beautiful truth; for those who are in the ministry team of the Lord, they might not be exempted from discouragements, tiredness and fears but the wonderful and priceless truth is this: the Lord will walk towards them in whatever situation they find themselves in. Amazing love; amazing Grace. Even more amazing is that this amazing grace and love are for us, His elect.

SUNDAY: FAITH DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN OUR DIFFICULT SITUATIONS. BUT WE NEED TO KNOW HOW THAT FAITH WORKS.
Matthew 14: 28 And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." 29 And He said, "Come!" And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But seeing the wind, he became afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!" 31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind stopped. 33 And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, "You are certainly God's Son!"
Peter was familiar with the waters of the lake. After all, he has spent his entire life interacting with the waters of the lake. But Peter understood quite well that no fisherman can walk on water. The best fisherman will still need a boat to cross the lake. Peter, that early morning, saw a sight that has been talked about but never really seen by anyone: Someone walking on water. Peter was on board the boat while the Lord Jesus was still out there walking on top of the waters of the lake. There was no dry ground between Peter and the Lord.
Peter was wise enough to know that his faith will not make him walk on the water. He knows that the Lord’s command responded to in faith, will make him walk on water. So he says: "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." It’s like saying, tell me Lord to walk and I will and I can walk. Tell me Lord I will not sink and drown and I will not sink and drown. The Lord responded with a single word. After all, authority does not require many words. He says: COME. ACTING in faith, or, believing in his heart that the Lord meant what He said, Peter got out of the boat and started walking on water. Of course we know the rest of the story. Peter saw the wind and he was afraid. Saw the wind? How is that possible? It means he saw the wind in the movements of the waves, the fluttering of the clothes, etc. He got afraid and doubted the reality of walking on water. He started sinking. But the Lord stretched out His hand and got him out. Here is a simple but unchangeable truth: Saving faith is different from the endurance faith of the saved. The latter means trusting the word of the Lord and making His word the basis of our confidence and courage- not the size of the waves or the strength of the wind.


MONDAY: SOLITUDE IS A GOOD RESPONSE TO THE BAD NEWS THAT COMES OUR WAY. WHENEVER POSSIBLE, TAKE THIS OPTION.
(Read from verse 1). Matthew 14:13 Now when Jesus heard it, He withdrew from there in a boat, to a lonely place by Himself; and when the multitudes heard of this, they followed Him on foot from the cities.
The Lord Jesus received some visitors. They carried bad and sad news. They were a burial party and they have just buried John the Baptist- at least his body because the Baptist’s head was kept in the place of Herod the Tetrarch. John was an important person in the life of the Lord Jesus. John was not only a blood relative; he was also the instrument of God in introducing the Lord Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
How do you respond to a bad and sad report? The text tells us that as soon as He heard it, He “withdrew from there in a boat..” He was not running away. It was a deliberate move with a specific direction: He was on His way to a LONELY PLACE by HIMSELF. Often the weight of our pains and burdens tends to feel unusually heavy not because they were beyond our capacity in the first place but because we do not take the time to be ALONE with the Father. Some people can sap what little courage and energy we have. A time with the Father is always beneficial as it brings courage and confidence to us. Remember the recently popular song? “In Your presence, in Your presence, there is Joy…” Do you make it a point to spend with the Father in heaven?

TUESDAY: IN THE MIDST OF OUR SADNESS, AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO GOOD WORK IS A GOD-GIVEN SITUATION TO GIVE US RESPITE FROM OUR EMOTIONAL BURDENS.
Matthew 14:14 And when He went ashore, He saw a great multitude, and felt compassion for them, and healed their sick.
Clearly, the Lord went to a LONELY PLACE BY HIMSELF as a spiritual response to the sad news about the brutal death of John the Baptist. The description of His intended destination is summarized in 4 words: LONELY PLACE BY HIMSELF. Here we have an emphatic statement pointing to solitariness or solitude. The word EREMOS (lonely) describes a wilderness or a place where one can be alone because others do not normally go there. The same word is used in Matthew 4 when the Lord Jesus was confronted by the tempter in the WILDERNESS. He was going to be BY HIMSELF- no on else with Him.
But this intention was not realized immediately. Reaching the spot leading to the LONELY PLACE, He saw a GREAT MULTITUDE. It was a needy multitude. They probably raced to reach the spot where they were to see the Lord. They brought their sick with them. Remember the paralytic in Mark 2? He was carried by FOUR of his friends and this same case may have been true for the Great Multitude. They brought their sick to the Lord and the Lord “postponed” or “delayed” the last leg of His journey to where He wants to be. Sometimes, in the midst of our sadness, we see a ministry opportunity and we realize that God’s wants us to deal with our sadness by helping others. One thing more; I think it is absolutely beautiful to note that the Lord’s personal desire (to be alone) was set aside for a moment in favor of our needs. He will never be too busy for us.

WEDNESDAY: AN UNCHANGING REMINDER FROM THE LORD WHEN WE ARE TAUNTED BY OUR INABILITIES: “BRING THEM TO ME.”
Read through verse 21. Matthew 14:15 And when it was evening, the disciples came to Him, saying, "The place is desolate, and the time is already past; so send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves." 16 But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!" 17 And they said to Him, "We have here only five loaves and two fish." 18 And He said, "Bring them here to Me."
Bad news for the disciples: The Great Multitude was there because the people followed the Lord Jesus Christ and being the disciples of the Lord, it was their duty to do something about it. The sick have received their healing but now an urgent situation emerges: 1. the people needed food; 2. The people numbered, more likely, at least 15,000. Verse 21 tells us that there were 5,000 men not including the women and children. For such an important event, a man will usually be accompanied by his wife and children. So, a 15,000 count is even a conservative estimate. 3. All that they have within reach are five loaves and two fish. In such a desperately overwhelming situation, the disciples’ solution seemed simple enough but it ran counter to the wishes of the Lord as it would be impractical and seemingly heartless; we don’t send hungry people away at that time in the afternoon. Who knows if they can still find some stores along the way?
The Lord’s reply is succinct, short and straight to the point: BRING THEM TO ME. Haven’t we heard this before? He alone knows the true answer to our needs. Bring them to me; the five loaves and two fish. It was an overwhelming situation and the problem taunted the disciples as it brought out their inabilities to do anything about it. But there was something that they were capable of doing- as we are - they brought their limited supplies to the Lord. And the rest, as they say, is history.

THURSDAY: THE NEEDS OF THE PEOPLE CAN BE OVERWHELMING. IT MUST NOT, HOWEVER, TAKE US AWAY FROM OUR TIME WITH THE FATHER.
Matthew 14:22 And immediately He made the disciples get into the boat, and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. 23 And after He had sent the multitudes away, He went up to the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.
The Lord attended to two groups of people: His disciples and the Great Multitude. He had His disciples got into a boat to go ahead of Him to the other side of the lake. At the same time, He sent the multitudes away. Then, He continued with His earlier plan: To go to a LONELY PLACE BY HIMSELF. Verse 23 tells us: “And after He had sent the multitudes away, He went up to the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.”
What was it that the Lord wanted to do by being alone? Luke 6:12 helps us to understand the answer to this question: “And it was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.” This was the Lord’s choice and a way of life. He would often spend time with the Father alone. Although truly God, the Lord was also truly human and was subjected to the many limitations of the body. That is why we read of Him resting, sleeping, and doing other acts of other human beings. But He had something we sometimes fail to see and therefore fail to use effectively: His time to be alone with the Father was a non-negotiable part of His own spirituality. Often, the task of helping others and responding to the needs of others can be overwhelming but we need to remind ourselves that we cannot and we should not compromise our time to be alone with the Father in heaven.

FRIDAY: GRATITUDE RECOGNIZES THE PERSON, PRESENCE, POWER AND PROVISIONS OF GOD. GRATITUDE GENERATES MIRACLES IN OUR LIVES.
Matthew 14:18 And He said, "Bring them here to Me." 19 And ordering the multitudes to recline on the grass, He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food, and breaking the loaves He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave to the multitudes, 20 and they all ate, and were satisfied. And they picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve full baskets. 21 And there were about five thousand men who ate, aside from women and children.
The problem was overwhelming. The ability of the apostles as well as the supplies at hand were clearly insufficient in relation to the needs and problems at hand. There were fifteen thousand or more persons needing food. Somebody had five loaves and two fish. What is that compared with the hunger of 15,000 or more persons? Of course we already know what happened. The loaves and the fish got multiplied literally. How did it happen? We see a series of steps towards the realization of this miracle.
First, the little that the people had was offered to the Lord. Next, the Lord looked up to the heavens suggesting a prayer of gratitude. Lesson: Be grateful for the little that we have. What is many comes from what is few and what is sufficient is really insufficient multiplied many times over. Next, He blessed the food. We do not normally do this but may be we should. He blessed the food. Then He started distributing the food. Gratitude does generate miracles because gratitude is a recognition of the person, presence, power and provisions of God. Get into this spiritual habit. It can and it will do wonders for us.