Over four million podcasts. More than one hundred million YouTube channels. At almost any moment, we can open a screen and learn something new, hear an opinion, or be entertained. Much of this is a gift. We can study Scripture more deeply, understand the world better, and stay connected in ways previous generations could not have imagined.
With so many voices come some important questions for Christian discernment: “Who are we listening to?” and “What is shaping our lives?”
Not all content leads us toward the light. Some of it feeds anxiety, anger, envy, or despair. Isaiah, the prophet, describes this well. He talks of voices that . . . . lead to “distress and darkness and fearful gloom.” Sometimes without realizing it, what we consult day after day can pull us away from the light and into the shadows.
There are also plenty of speakers that point us to the light. They teach the truth of God’s creation. Their proclamation of the Word can steady our soul. When the light of Christ dawns on us, Scripture says, there is joy and rejoicing.
Isaiah gives a simple test: “Consult God’s instruction and the testimony of warning. If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn” (Isaiah 8:20). Does what we’re hearing align with God’s Word? Does it draw me toward faith, love, and hope or toward fear and darkness?
What voices fill your days? What messages shape your thoughts? Return again to the truest voice, the Word of God, the light that never leads us astray or disappoints.
Consult God’s instruction and the testimony of warning. If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn” (Isaiah 8:20)