I recently unfollowed my preferred source of daily news because its reportage was making me angry and depressed.
I felt angry by what appeared to be biased loyalty to a political standpoint. I was depressed because, despite its attractive presentation, all its news stories were noticeably dark. It featured images of injured children in war-torn nations, senseless hate crimes, communal violence, destructive natural calamities, or the corruption of unjust leaders.
In the face of such brokenness, it is hard to find hope. When the news cycle turns ugly, no one is spared from tasting the despair. Not even Christians.
All News Deeply Affects Us
For Christians, hearing the news can be daunting. We cling to the promise of a fully renewed world. But the daily news can feel like a daily taunt. It questions whether our deepest hope only sets us up for great disappointment. Each tragedy becomes a grim reminder of the reality of our fallen world.
What shakes us most is realising that the victims of these tragedies are not numbers and statistics. They are people like us with names, hopes, dreams, and stories.
The news cycle can leave us with low-grade anxiety, constantly wondering when the next shoe will drop. Questions plague our minds. “What if it were to happen to me? Where is God in the middle of all this? Will this ever end?”
Sometimes the despair is so overwhelmingly painful that we want to wall ourselves in. We want to withdraw altogether from engaging with our broken world.
Hearing the Good News
It is incredible that in the same way we give and receive news, God’s offer of hope bursts forth with an announcement of news.
In the Gospel of Luke, the angel gloriously announces God’s news to the shepherds. He declares, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:9-11).
The daily news can feel like a daily taunt.
God’s message has such immense value that the angel calls it “good news” of “great joy.” This news is so good that it will be for “all the people.” This news is so joy-filled that it will give everyone who hears it a reason to “fear not.”
What makes the news so joyous and antithetical to fear is the subject of its message. It is the Saviour, Christ the Lord. He is given to redeem all who believe. Can there be any news of greater significance in all the world?
Savouring the Good News
As followers of Christ, God wants us to see the worldly news cycle by first learning to savour his good news. We savour God’s good news only by anchoring our hearts in the truth.
Here are three things that anchor our souls in God’s good news.
Only the Good News Determines Our Destiny
The news we hear threatens to determine our destiny. It sows seeds of despair and mistrust in God. When we tether our future hope to current events, we tend to live in terror. However, the gospel is our assurance that only God’s love determines our present and final destiny.
World affairs threaten our destiny only as much as the discomfort caused by a barking dog with no bite. The gospel assures us that not even the bad news of our world can prevent us from enjoying the love of God in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:38-39).
Only the Good News is Forever
We can face all worldly news today knowing a day is coming when there will be no more bad news. God will bring a day when we will not dread any news from any online outlet, television, or newsfeed. This is not because God will hide us or shelter us from bad news. It is because there will no longer be any bad news left. We will be in the presence of our Saviour and King.
The good news does not consist of empty words. It rests on Jesus.
Though we continue to hear and read of the world’s brokenness, we can be greatly comforted in knowing that Jesus will bring all bad news to an end. One day, we will dwell in God’s presence in the heavenly city. There will be no more suffering or pain because the former things will have passed away (Rev. 21:3-4).
Only the Good News Will Not Disappoint
The good news does not consist of empty words. It rests on Jesus, our living and present hope (1 Pet. 1:3). When we trust in Jesus, his good promises never disappoint, no matter what our circumstances.
Jesus, our living hope, supernaturally works in us to joyfully build our endurance and character. He uses even painful circumstances to produce godly hope that does not disappoint (Rom. 5:1-5).
Even when our hearts feel the weight of all that we hear and read in the news, we can be confident in the goodness of Jesus.
The Good News Brings Joy in the Darkness
For followers of Jesus, the news cycle of a fallen world can help expose our false hopes in pleasure, money, power, fame, or success. Rather than the bad news weakening our trust in God, it can rouse us to cling to and savour the immense hope of his love.
God does not call us to withdraw from the world in fear or cynicism. Instead, God’s good news equips us to face the harshness of life with confidence. The gospel propels us to bring God’s light, goodness, beauty, and truth to shine in the darkest places on earth.
Only because of the gospel, our hearts can sing, “O for Christ has come, the day draws near. O and even now, he meets us here.”
