Good News for Everyone
Picture, for a moment, a normal day of your life. Everything is pretty typical—nothing out of the ordinary. Then, imagine that out of nowhere, light shines down all around you. It’s so bright and warm, you can’t see anything except … an angel? An angel is talking to you!
That’s exactly what happened to a group of shepherds near Bethlehem the night Jesus was born. And here’s what the angel said:
“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” (Luke 2:10)
It’s no surprise the angel opens with, “Don’t be afraid.” The shepherds whom the angel appeared to must have been terrified! How startling to be in the middle of a normal day taking care of your flock and have something so unexpected happen! And not only unexpected—something that absolutely changed the course of history.
The angel also knew what the shepherds did not: “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” The Messiah all of Israel had been waiting for, the one whom the prophets had foretold of, had been born. He had come. Nothing in the world could have been better news or a cause for greater joy than this!
And of all the people who could have been first to know, it was these shepherds. In Israel at that time, shepherds were everyday people. They weren’t powerful, influential, or wealthy. And yet God picked these everyday people to be the first to hear this good news. The Kingdom of God isn’t just for those people society holds in high regard. It is for everyone. It is for all of us.
Today, pay attention to how God may be speaking to you. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you’ve been, or where you’re going. This good news is for you!
Unshakeable
Isaiah 40 is a chapter of comfort and hope. It was written for a people living in the shadow of exile, weighed down by the consequences of sin and the fear of what lay ahead. But right from the beginning, in verse 1, God speaks words of reassurance: “Comfort, comfort my people.”
As the chapter unfolds, we see a beautiful tension. On one hand, we are reminded of the frailty of human life: “All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field” (verse 6). Life is fragile. Our efforts fade. Seasons change. The things we build, rely on, or admire can crumble in an instant.
But then we read Isaiah 40:8: “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” This is the turning point. While everything around us is temporary, God’s Word is unshakable and eternal. His promises never expire. His truth never becomes outdated. His voice still speaks comfort and strength today, just as it did then.
The chapter goes on...