News

“When the earth and all its people quake, it is I who hold its pillars firm.” Psalm 75:3

I don’t watch the news or read the newspaper very often. I don’t know if that is right or wrong, but for me it’s an act of emotional/mental self-preservation. I grew up in a house where my dad watched 1½-2 hours of news every night, all the while ranting and raving about what was going on locally, nationally and internationally—the vast majority of which he had absolutely no control over.

While we were on vacation recently, we were having breakfast in the hotel dining area, and of course CNN was on. In a matter of minutes I had seen and heard about more violence and tragedy than people in the 1800’s would have known about in their entire lifetime. I am not so sure our progress in this instance has been a positive one. I let it make me depressed and angry, and although I didn’t rant at the TV, my tone certainly got shorter with my family. It was not a good thing.

In my devotions this morning I came across Psalm 75:3. God knows everything that is going on—all the flooding, death, war, famine, drought, injustice, fear—all of it. And He is the one holding it all up. Though it appears, as Chicken Little would say “the sky is falling,” it’s not. God holds it in place, and will continue to do so until He is ready to do a new thing (Revelation 21:1), when there will be no more death or sorrow (Revelation 21:4), and no such thing as bad news.

So for now, whether I’m being an ostrich with its head in the sand or not, I’m going to continue not watching the news or reading the paper much. Instead I’m going to follow after the words of Philippians 4:6-8. There are plenty of true, noble, just, pure, lovely, good, virtuous and trustworthy things going on in the world. I’m going to focus on those things, and when led by the Holy Spirit, I will contribute to those things.

If money were no object, I would start a news channel and call it CPN-Constant Positive News. There would be no political or economic agenda, no slanting of the facts to bring more sensationalism or sell more copies, no airbrushing for perfection. Instead, there would be stories of real, honest people behaving in moral, right and just ways towards each other, animals and the planet. I wonder if anyone would watch it?

Lord, I am so grateful that You are in control of all that is happening, and until You decide otherwise, the earth’s pillars are firmly in Your grasp. Thank You that the best news we could ever get or share is the Good News of Salvation through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.