My husband & I don’t have cable. Like… we get NO channels. Well, ok actually we get 1 channel, but it’s just the local cable access channel. (I like it because occasionally they air Bob Ross episodes!) But basically no channels. This means we don’t watch the news. You’re probably thinking “Well that seems seriously irresponsible as an American citizen not to stay informed…” And on one hand, you’re probably right. But there came a point where I just couldn’t bear to watch it anymore. Everything they report is just so sad & devastating & heartbreaking. It would put me in a sense of panic & depression before I left for work. Not good to have anxiety triggers LITERALLY broadcast into your living room each morning.
I remember a day a year or so ago when I saw a report of a television reporter on location being shot & killed live on air by a passerby. The camera man was killed too. It wasn’t too far from my house & it scared me SO much. Apparently the man who shot them was angry with the station for some reason or another & had decided to shoot their reporter in cold blood as an act of calculated defiance. I mean… how can we even walk out in public with the fear of being shot when we’re buying our groceries or taking a walk in the park? That news reporter was just doing her job & didn’t have any reason to fear for her life.
My dad called to check on me after seeing it on the news & I asked him that question. “How can I go about my business not knowing what horrible things might happen? I’m scared to even go outside.” My dad said: “Nope. You can’t think like that, kiddo. If you’re too afraid to leave your house, then they win. You just live your life, be aware of your surroundings, & let God do the rest.” Good advice for life, really.
These days it’s easy to feel like there are no good people left in the world. Like everything seems bleak & hopeless based on what is reported on the news. But the truth is, we don’t see the whole picture. God does. In Micah Chapter 7, we learn to wait for the Lord in times like these.
“The godly has perished from the earth, and there is no one upright among mankind; they all lie in wait for blood, and each hunts the other with a net.” (Micah 7:2 ESV)
“But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.” (Micah 7:7-8 ESV)
It comforts me to know that I’m not the only one who has felt like all the goodness has been sucked away from the world at one time or another. But it’s just an illusion. God can see the whole picture, and if we wait for Him with blind faith, He will meet us there.
Dear Lord, when the world seems bleak for days or weeks or months, it feels hopeless. When goodness seems far away, I will wait for You. Remind me that you’re near no matter what I see from my point of view. Even though everything seems broken, I know that it will right itself again. I know I don’t need to wait for the world to change, I just need to keep my face to the sun & wait for You.
<3 Elaine
