An oil spill pollutes the Gulf of Mexico, devastating marine life and the livelihood of millions of people. Day after day we watch it on TV, in real time. An earthquake hits Haiti, 200,000 die, and the world’s poorest people are left hungry and homeless. An American-born terrorist flies home from an Al Qaeda training camp with a bomb in his underwear and tries to destroy not only the plane, but much of Detroit. Bankers, car makers and oil executives we trusted sit in front of a Congressional committee and say they have no idea how we got into this mess. The reports keep coming 24/7. Talking heads in the media milk each moment and sensationalize each event because it increases their ratings, sells advertising and makes money. Indeed, some of the news reporters have become celebrities. Fear sells! It’s a major industry. Paradoxically, we are the most prosperous generation in history, and the most fearful one too. In the past you had to get your daily dose of anxiety from the evening news; today you get it around the clock on your Blackberry or iPad. Now you can’t bury your head in the sand. But if you’re not selective in what you listen to, you can lose your peace of mind. God knows this, so His Word asks, “Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” In Scripture, the “arm of the Lord” speaks of His power to deliver and His providential care over every event in our lives.

 

So whose report are you going to listen to, internalize, and respond to?