I remember reading Chicken Little when I was a child. The story goes that a young chick was walking along when an acorn hit him on the head. With no further investigation Chicken Little came to the kind of well reasoned conclusion that floods our internet today.

The sky is falling!

Today Chicken Little would be an excellent anchor for a cable network. Every time I violate my own personal mental health policy and turn on a news network I am plunged into despair and fear. The sky is falling! Look! There is an expert with an important title displaying a colorful chart to prove it! Hear me out. I know there is an important role in communicating information for our safety. But the tone, choice of graphic descriptors, and sheer volume of fear mongering is depressing.

When I really fall into the abyss and survey social media I see overwhelming fear, anger, gloom, and apocalyptic doom. Again, I understand the need to feel informed. But I am beginning the think that fear is the most dangerous contagion in this discussion.

As a follower of Jesus how do I process this tsunami of doom? I need to remind myself of some fundamental truths that I hold true. I find myself doing this over and over because the noise from the culture drowns out the quiet voice of the Spirit of God. Here is a small dose of my faith vaccine for fear.

These events are NOT a surprise to God. This pandemic did not find God scrambling to catch up. Sickness, natural disasters, and pandemics are a product of a fallen world that will someday be redeemed. Jesus made it very clear that following Him is not a get out of grief card. “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33, NLT) Yes there will be troubles. Yes there will be heartaches, sickness, and even death. But He has overcome the world. What does that mean?

It means even in my deepest fear and darkest hour I can know that I am loved, adopted, redeemed and that I have the hope of an eternity with God. I have hope to sustain me. I am not anxious to leave this world but I am also not afraid. I believe I have an eternal inheritance given as a free gift of grace awaiting me.

I do my best to obey the laws the authorities lay out for me. I try to be smart, a good neighbor, and a responsible citizen. After doing all of those important things I stand on this conclusion drawn by David when he was afraid for his future. His lament sounds like he could have written it today (after watching cable news).

My heart is breaking
    as I remember how it used to be:
I walked among the crowds of worshipers,
    leading a great procession to the house of God,
singing for joy and giving thanks
    amid the sound of a great celebration!

David was isolated. His days of great gatherings were just a memory as he hunkered down alone in fear. But he remembered the key to his joy and thankfulness. He remembered where he placed his hope.

Why am I discouraged?
    Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
    I will praise him again—
    my Savior and my God!

In Psalm 73 the author laments how the wicked seem to prosper and he wonders if his efforts are in vain. Then he recognizes the problem is not the world but the bitterness in his own heart. He acknowledges that he may face troubles but his source of strength is eternal.

My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,
    but God remains the strength of my heart;
    he is mine forever. (Psalm 73:26, NLT)

The next time the news and social media is causing your heart to be downcast remember the words of Paul to the church at Corinth. As we noted last week he had endured his share of suffering but he knew it would be okay.

For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. (2 Corinthians 4:17-18, NLT)

Today I choose to focus my gaze on the source of hope and light.

Jesus.

Fear causes you to take your eye off of the source of your strength.

Keep your eyes on Jesus and the words of a classic old church hymn will begin to ring true in your heart.

O soul are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior
And life more abundant and free

Turn you eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face.
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.

I hope you focus on the hope and light of Jesus to get you through the cacophony of doom and gloom that surrounds us.