People get their news in various ways. For some, it may be by television or radio. Others might have websites they visit for information. Meanwhile, some people are still okay with waiting on tomorrow morning’s newspaper. However you get your news, do you ever pray about what you saw, heard, or read? You may not realize it now, but you can be a blessing to many people. Here are things you can pray about when learning of something in your town, state, nation, or world:
Pray About the Story
Accidents happen. So do violent crimes. We live in a fallen world, and people are not perfect. For lack of a better cliché: It is what it is. But when you learn about an accident, crime, or controversial action by a governing body, remember it in your prayers. Ask God for these kinds of things to stop while simultaneously praying for peace and prosperity.
Pray For People Directly Affected
Regardless of the topic, pray for the people who were impacted by events mentioned in the news report. Some people may have died, so ask for God’s blessing on their families, friends, and co-workers. If people were injured, ask God for healing. Moreover, pray that those people who are not saved would trust Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. All of the above also applies to people responsible for the event mentioned in the news report. Many people have come to trust Jesus in the years after some issue or event, including convicted criminals. It could be that someone somewhere was praying for them.
Pray For First Responders
Ask God’s blessing on the first responders dealing with situations mentioned in the news. If you think your job is difficult, think about what it would be like to walk in their shoes and see what they deal with on a daily basis. I recently had a conversation with a friend who is a police officer. He informed me that a few nights earlier he found a body in a suitcase. The body’s legs were missing, and it his was job to locate them.
Even if it’s some budgetary matter that could mean cutbacks to emergency agencies, ask God to bless their financial situations. Meanwhile, pray for government officials to have wisdom, strength, and courage to find solutions to whatever is mentioned in the news report. I acknowledge that there are individuals who do not feel like praying for lawmakers or bureaucrats based on party affiliation or platforms, but the opportunity to voice our opinion comes with elections, and in the meantime the Bible tells us to pray for people in government (2 Timothy 2:1-3).
Pray For the News Team
You may envision news anchors and reporters as not having feelings, but they do possess emotions that can be affected by stories. One of the hardest days in my time as a broadcaster was on December 14, 2012. A gunman shot and killed children in a Connecticut elementary school. You may know it better as the Sandy Hook shooting. As a father and a human being, I struggled to keep it together as I told people what was going on that day. Based on all this, I recommend people pray for the person whose job it is to inform viewers, listeners, and readers of various events.
We should pray for news employees who have become cynical or cold-hearted. Years ago, I worked with a man who got excited when bad things happened. Why? News reporting, like virtually any other business, is a business. Time is money, and so are news stories. The better someone is at getting viewers, readers, and clicks, the more they can charge for advertising which is the lifeblood of most news outlets. By the way, so-called “happy news” does not sell as much as “hard news.” Believe it or not, some people complain if there is not enough of the hard stuff.
After reading this today, it will be virtually impossible for you to finish your day without hearing about current events. It could be that it is bedtime and you are winding down from a hard day. It may be that you are scrolling through your Facebook feed instead of working. Either way, there will be televisions in the places you frequent, digital signs that detail current events, and news apps that push headlines to let unaware consumers know about a breaking or developing news event. Whoever you are, wherever you are, pray about the news.
Listen to "Staying Sane while Watching the News" with Engage Radio host Wesley and TJ.
