Reading today’s news, I couldn’t help but recall the lyrics to one of Anne Murray’s hit songs. It topped the charts in 1983:

”I rolled out this morning. The kids had the morning news show on.

”Bryant Gumbel was talking about the fighting in Lebanon.

”Some senator was squawking about the bad economy.

”It’s gonna get worse you see, we need a change in policy.

”There’s a local paper rolled up in a rubber band.

”One more sad story’s one more than I can stand.”

I mused on how ironically sad and tragic most of these lyrics are. They’re just as timely today as they were nearly a quarter century ago when this song first came out.

Of course, there is always some senator or other politician ”squawking about the bad economy,” especially prior to an election year. But the widespread political unrest and the present military conflict in the Middle East are still major factors in the economy because they still impact the price of oil from this major oil-producing area.

The song later laments:

”I’ll come home this evening. I’ll bet that the news will be the same. Somebody takes a hostage, somebody steals a plane.”

Airline hijacking is not in the news as often as it was when the song was written, because that problem took on a whole new meaning after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. But a military crisis in Lebanon is still with us, and as the song’s refrain says: ”We sure could use a little good news today.”

The Bible explains why we have so much bad news and offers us good news! In fact, the word ”gospel” means ”good news.” That is the main purpose of the biblical message.

Many think the message of the gospel is only that Jesus Christ died for our sins. This is certainly good news! But as important as this truth is, it is only part of the larger scope of what the Bible calls ”the gospel of the kingdom of God” (Mark 1:14). That ”good news” message offers solutions to war, crime, environmental pollution and other national and international problems that result from sin.

The gospel of the kingdom of God promises a 1,000-year period of restoration under the righteous rule of Jesus Christ. In fact, Bible prophecy promises the very good news that Anne Murray’s song yearns for.

Notice how God inspired Isaiah to prophesy of this future time.

”Many people shall come and say, ‘Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem” (Isaiah 2:3).

”And he will be the judge between the nations, and the peoples will be ruled by his decisions: and their swords will be turned into plough-blades, and their spears into vine-knives: no longer will the nations be turning their swords against one another, and the knowledge of war will be gone for ever” (Isaiah 2:4, Bible in Basic English)

”They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9).

Another prophecy promises, ”The streets of the city (Jerusalem, and eventually all cities) shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets” (Zechariah 8:5).

The good news of the gospel of the kingdom of God is much better news than most people, even many Christians, realize. It won’t happen today, but it will happen in God’s time.