Proclaim the Good News

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”  Listen!  Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy. Isaiah 52: 7

Is there anything better than receiving good news? News that we have been waiting so long to hear?  And how grateful we are for the messengers who bring it!

The imagery of this verse from Isaiah is clear. Can you imagine a messenger or watchman on a mountaintop waiting for a sign to deliver the news that the people below have been waiting to hear? Imagine how they would lift their voices with the good news they have to share and shout with joy. And how happy the people would be to receive it! Is it any wonder that Isaiah, the prophet, would choose to describe it in this way: “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news”? 

The news he had to bring to his people gave them hope, joy, and a promise of God’s faithfulness, and it is the same message he has for us today.

Isaiah had long been prophesying about the coming Messiah, the king who would change their world and bring about peace and hope in their lives. Yet, his people had been in captivity, and they were feeling forsaken by God. But with these words, Isaiah is proclaiming to them that God keeps His promises – that He still reigns – and that God is with them. He assures them that the messengers, the watchmen, who have been waiting, will bring them the good news that they can return home, restore their land, and once again live in peace.

Just as Isaiah was offering encouragement to his people all those centuries ago, his message gives us the assurance that we too are not forgotten and that we can have that same hope and promise that our God is with us.

This verse has been referred to as “a 2500 year old Christmas greeting to us from God” to remind us of the good news we can still find in Jesus Christ. For there are still “watchmen” and messengers who desire to bring us the good news of our Savior’s saving grace and love. They still lift their voices to assure us of His presence, and they sing, and shout for joy as they remind us that “Our God Reigns!” – now and forevermore.

How privileged we are to hear some of those beautiful voices as they bring us the good news of our Savior’s birth and the life we can have in Him. I attended a Christmas pageant called “The Story of Christmas” at a large, area church recently, and I saw the wonder and glory of God. The spirit of Christmas and His love filled that huge sanctuary in a way that I could have never imagined, and  it was truly a time of praise and gratitude.

May we take the opportunities before us this season to experience all the simple and magnificent ways that God makes Himself known to us, and may we too be messengers of His love and grace to the world as we wait in anticipation for His return.

Prayer

Our God of glory, we thank you for the wonders of your love and your blessings to us. How grateful we are for those who continue to bring your message of hope and peace to our world. We give you all glory, honor, and praise for the gift of your Son, and for the eternal hope He brings.  Amen