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Jan 14, 2025 06:00am

Good News and Bad News

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“I’ve got good news and bad news.”

Ugh. That’s never something you want to hear.

I sat in the maintenance area of the car dealership, listening to the mechanic give me the news about my car.

“The good news is, I found the problem. And we can fix it.”

Whew! That was a relief! We had been trying to figure out why this thing kept acting up for months. Time and time again, I’d drive it to the dealership, and they’d run some tests, but nothing would show up to indicate what the problem was. I knew it wasn’t just all in my head. This thing was not working right. And now, they finally got it to mess up with them, and they could fix it!

I did a little celebration dance in my mind. But it was only short-lived because I remembered there was also bad news.

“What’s the bad part?”

“Well, it ain’t cheap. It’s gonna cost ya.”

I guess I could have expected that. But I sure didn’t like it.

He then shared the projected cost with me.

The monumental projected cost.

The astronomical projected cost.

The…

Okay, you get the picture. I began to consider if it was even worth it. If I even had that kind of money, would it be worth putting that into this car? Should I just try to trade it in as is? Should I try to sell it by owner and try to get a little money out of it? What car would I drive until then?

So many questions swirled through my mind as the mechanic stared at me empathetically. He knew it was a big cost.

“I can promise you this. We get that fixed, and it will be as good as new. Trust me.”

But in my mind, there were so many doubts. I just wasn’t sure. And I still didn’t know where the money would come from to fix it.

Acts 27:20
“When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.”

Paul, his companions, other prisoners, and the authorities who delivered them to Caesar were on a ship sailing towards Rome. They were caught in a terrible storm and had already thrown much of their cargo overboard. They had tied ropes around the boat to hold it together.

The storm was so bad they had given up hope. They believed they were going to die out there.

Acts 27:21-25
“After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: ‘Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss.”

Paul wasn’t saying I told you so. But he was calling their attention to when he told them it was a bad idea to sail in the first place. He wanted them to believe in God. He wanted them to see they could trust what the Lord said.

And that’s when he essentially said, “I’ve got good news and bad news.”

Here’s the good news:

“22 But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed.
23 Last night, an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me
24 and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’
25 So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.”

That’s great news! Their lives would be spared! They were going to make it!

But wait, what was the bad news?

26 “Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.”

The boat would be shipwrecked. Although they were going to live, they were going to go through a terrifying event before they stepped foot on dry ground.

Can you imagine?

Fear and worry took over for many of them. Several of the ship crew wanted to escape in the lifeboat secretly, but Paul discovered their plan and told them that unless they stayed with Paul, their lives would not be spared.

Throughout our lives, we encounter the good news and the bad news. We aren’t exempt from the bad things that come. But it’s an opportunity for us to test our faith. Do we truly trust the Lord in the good and to bring us through the bad?

As Paul encouraged those on the ship to trust the Lord even when they had to endure trouble, I want to encourage you today.

It won’t be easy. There will be sorrow, tears, and even pain. But God…

He will carry us through.

Remember that today.