How To Respond To The Noises of 2020

This post contains affiliate links – I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links ❤

There is so much noise in our world right now. I hear it everywhere I go – at work, in the store, in line at the Post Office and certainly online. I hear fear, anger, grief, guilt, uncertainty and despair. How should someone who is a believer in Jesus Christ respond to the noise that we hear every day? This is what I’m attempting, by God’s grace, to do right now.

#1 Constantly Remind Myself of the Truth

One of the common themes I see online comes from memes depicting how 2020 is the worst year ever. I get a chuckle out of them here and there, don’t get me wrong, but I also have to stop a moment to make sure that my heart isn’t believing that lie.

2020 is not spinning out of control. We are not stuck in a game of Jumanji. The natural disasters, hate crimes, pandemics and economic setbacks of 2020 have not been a surprise to God. How do I know?

I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?” – Daniel 4:34-35

Everything we face in this life has been sifted through the loving hands of a sovereign God. He is always good and He is always in control. While we live in a fallen world, filled with people (myself included) who have a free will and often choose to go their own way, God is on the throne.

For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all. -I Corinthians 15:25-28

Read More: Where is God in the Coronavirus?

The truth is found in God’s Word. It is crucial that we all spend time hearing from God’s Word every day. We have to turn down the volume of the world and turn up the volume of the truth. I do this by listening to my daily Bible reading plan in the morning. Most of the verses I’m sharing in this post are from the past week’s reading – it’s amazing how the Holy Spirit applies the living Word of God to the exact places I live.

Once I’ve reminded myself of the truth, I can move on to step two.

#2 Constantly Remind Others of the Truth

I’m doing my best, by God’s grace, to be a loudspeaker above the noise of fear and chaos. It’s as simple as this:

Let the whole earth sing to the Lord! Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. -1 Chronicles 16:23

The gospel is the good news that Jesus saves. I want to share the hope of the gospel in as many conversations as I possibly can.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures…If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. -1 Corinthians 15

This is easier than it seems. So many people respond to your “How are you?” with despair. I hear a lot of answers like “I’m still here…I just don’t know what’s going to happen next.” I respond with “It is crazy right now, isn’t it? I’m so glad to know that we have hope in Jesus, and He never changes!”

People either look at me like I’m crazy or they pause and say, “Oh, that’s right. That is true!” All I’m doing is pointing them to Jesus. It isn’t hard, but it encourages both of us in the process!

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 4:18

Read More: How to Find the Beauty in Suffering

“When you don’t understand what’s going on, run to God’s goodness rather than questioning it. Say with Asaph, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Psalm 76:23)” -from New Morning Mercies, June 23