God's Hope is the Foundation for Writers When World is Falling Apart

by Martin Wiles @LinesFromGod

The news and I have a love-hate relationship. I love to know what’s taking place locally, nationally, and worldwide—but at the same time, I often hate to know what’s going on. 

As Andy Taylor of the Andy Griffith show once said when reading the town newspaper: “Bad news everywhere.” The news always seems to be bad. In fact, we might find it odd when newscasters occasionally include something uplifting in their reports. 

Currently on the list: COVID still runs rampant, even though we don’t hear as much about it. The President of the United States recently recovered from COVID, and soon after our first lady battled it. Monkeypox continues to spread. The war in Ukraine continues. Mass shootings are a regular occurrence. Inflation is on the rise. Airline flights experience high cancelation rates. Almost every business is short-staffed. Temperatures are rising, reflecting the effects of global warming. Drought conditions assault vast swaths of the United States. Criminals continue to ambush law enforcement officers. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. (Now I’m really depressed.)

I don’t have any trouble concurring with what the psalmist said and asked: “The foundations of law and order have collapsed. What can the righteous do” (Psalm 11:3 NLT)? And what can a righteous writer do? 

Fortunately, as believers and writers, we don’t have to allow depression or discouragement to overcome us when we hear all the lousy news. On the contrary, the bad should encourage us to do our part to change or influence what courses we can—all the while remembering God has not abdicated his throne. 

Sin is the culprit behind all the bad, and Satan is the instigator of sin’s actions. He wants to destroy; God wants to build. He wants to sow discord; God intends to distribute love and hope. He thrives on discouragement, while God loves encouragement. 

But we have read the end of the story, and we know who wins: God and good. This should encourage and remind us to be the light and salt this world full of dire news needs. As writers, let’s make sure we sow one accord not discord, love not hate, unity not division, and encouragement not discouragement. Often, we never realize the impact of our words, but impact they have. 

So, to answer the question, “What can we do?” Wherever we are each day—and whatever we write—we can reflect the love of Christ through our actions, words, and thoughts. We can encourage others to love God and their neighbors. 

Writer, what can you do to help re-establish the foundations of law and order?

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God's Hope is the Foundation for Writers When World is Falling Apart, insight from Martin Wiles, @LinesFromGod on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Martin Wiles is the founder of Love Lines from God (www.lovelinesfromgod.com) and serves as Managing Editor for Christian Devotions, Senior Editor for Inspire a Fire, and Proof Editor for Courier Publishing. He has authored six books and has been published in numerous publications. His most recent book, DON'T JUST LIVE...REALLY LIVE, debuted in October of 2021. He is a freelance editor, English teacher, author, and pastor.

Featured Image: Photo by Max Kleinen on Unsplash