The local news is not covering it, neither are the prime news outlets. You can’t Google it. You can’t wait for it either because it won’t come unless you’re looking for it. What’s happening on the other side of the world in missions? How is the Gospel being spread among people with little access to the truth?
I don’t know if you’ve had a long-distance relationship before, whether romantic or some immediate relative. It can be torturous not being able to really connect with them. Sure, technology can mitigate that distance a bit, but technology can’t give you a hug. Distance creates silence; it creates longing and uncertainty. The worse thing it can create is forgetfulness and moving on with life without a person.
Proverbs 25:25 says, “Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.”
Good news from a far country is so refreshing, especially news from a beloved one whom you miss. Nothing is better than to know that they are well, and that God provides for their needs because you can’t. The best news is the Gospel, and knowledge of it spreading. Proverbs 25:25 is a missionary verse. Longing for home, the missionary wants to know good news. Longing from home, those who have sent the missionary are eager to know of their success.
Yet there is better news even than this. For we as Christians are all sojourners who are longing for our true home. The best news of all coming from a distant land is the news of the Gospel, the news that those who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of the Lamb, the news that we are almost home on our long journey of exile. This news is like cold water to the thirsty soul.
Missionaries long to know of good news from their home country. Are we keeping them informed? Those who send missionaries long to hear of the good news of the work that is being done on the field. Are they hearing that from their missionaries? All Christians everywhere long to hear the cold-water news to our thirsty souls that comes from our true home in heaven. Do we drink deeply of that living water every day in God’s word?
Author
With eleven years’ experience in missions and eight years’ experience in pastoral ministry and church planting, Joel now serves MissioSERVE Alliance as a church engagement specialist. Joel seeks to mobilize churches to fulfill their God given role to train, send and care for their missionaries well. When he is not consulting with churches, Joel’s work focuses on administration, resource development and production. Joel and Mary are raising 4 kids (Jacob, Annie, Solomon and ZJ), attending Patterson Park Church in Beavercreek, Ohio.