“I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness in the great assembly; indeed, I do not restrain my lips, O Lord, You Yourself know.” Psalm 40:9 (NKJV)
“You have a grandson!” I was so pleased to tell my father this news when my son was born. At the time, my dad had three granddaughters—all beautiful and deeply loved and spoiled, but no boys yet. I made that announcement 26 years ago, but I remember it as if it were this week.
I didn’t have to sell this news or qualify it as good news. I didn’t have to say, “Are you sitting down? You better sit down for this.” No way! What I needed to say was, “Make sure you have enough room to jump up and down for joy! Your name is going to live on for another generation!”
Nothing Better than Good News
There is nothing better than good news. The psalmist tells us that good news delights the hearer. It gives the hearer pleasure. It gives hope for the future. It causes people to break out in prayer and praises. David didn’t hold back. He wrote in a flamboyant style everything he can think of about God’s faithfulness, righteousness, and salvation. He doesn’t do this only for his own personal devotional life, although that’s where it starts. He writes this all down so he can give it to his worship leader who, in turn, leads God’s people in thought-provoking, energetic praises. The words that David intentionally wrote turned into timeless songs of good news, the kind that get stuck on a continuous loop in your head.
Be Familiar with the Good News
Friend, that’s the kind of effect the Word of God is supposed to have on us. As Christians, we ought to be known as people who have the gospel good news continually flowing from our lips with a fervor that cannot be contained. In Ephesians 6:19 (NKJV) , Paul prays, “That utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel.” This is an awesome verse for you to pray.
Make sure you’re familiar with God’s Word so you can always be ready to deliver the good news of the gospel when God’s Spirit brings it to your remembrance. The world is hope-starved. When you have the Word of God flowing through you, you become the message of hope God is determined to saturate the world with.
