Coronavirus. China and Taiwan. Russia and Ukraine. Inflation and recession.
Headlines in the modern world are scary and cause a lot of fear and anxiety in the human heart.
But how many hours a day do you consume news media? How many news podcasts do you listen to? How many hours a day do you find yourself watching cable news? I’m not proposing complete abstinence from news media. We need to be informed citizens. However, I would like to offer a simple challenge today: Read your Bible and pray as much as you consume news media.
How
First, track your news consumption. Be honest. Counting Facebook, Twitter, news websites, podcasts, radio, and cable news, how many hours of news media do you consume daily?
Second, evaluate how much you consume news media. Could it be less? Could it be more? There isn’t a right or wrong answer. However, I would encourage you to define in advance how many minutes/hours a day you would like to devote to news consumption. Stick to your plan.
Third, balance your news consumption with prayer and Bible reading. If you watch the news for 30 minutes each morning, consider adding 30 minutes of prayer and Bible reading into your morning routine. If you don’t have enough time, reduce your news consumption and increase your time in God’s Word.
Why
I believe this challenge is helpful for two reasons:
First, prayer is powerful. God works through prayer to accomplish his sovereign purpose in the world. Therefore, by devoting more time to prayer, you remind yourself that God is in control of events on the national and international stage. You don’t have to be afraid or anxious about anything!
Second, the Bible is powerful. It teaches us about God. It teaches us about ourselves. It teaches us about the way of salvation and how to live. The Apostle Paul says, “All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16–17).
Therefore, the more we are rooted and grounded in scripture, the more we will be able to evaluate and face the events of our time.
About Will Stern
Originally from Colorado, Will Stern is the pastor of Hope Presbyterian Church in Garnet Valley. He majored in violin performance for his undergrad and taught violin for a number of years before being called into ministry. He studied theology at Duke University and Westminster Theological Seminary.
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