I know this to be true:
God takes care of his people,
Those who live simply,
Innocently,
Kindly.
But I got so distracted looking the other way,
I didn’t watch where I was going,
Wandering off course,
Almost ending up in a ditch.
I was way too focused on pop culture icons,
All the fame and fortune
Of people committed to living me-first lives.
(Everyday Psalms, Psalm 73, 166-167)
We live in a noisy world. And it only gets noisier.
Even before the internet became accessible from devices in the pockets of almost everyone, we were inundated with information and the glut has only increased in speed and volume like an avalanche. And if avalanches are deadly to our bodies, an avalanche of noise and information is deadly to our souls.
A big part of the noise we are subjected to comes in the form of posing by the rich, the famous, and the powerful. Celebrities and politicians infiltrate our feeds.
We see sports stars, movie stars, and music stars more than the actual stars. We are told what to think and feel by social media influencers. We’re herded by political and corporate power mongers. We are subjected to celebrities who don’t do anything but are famous simply because they’re famous. And we even have superstar pastors, as if that wasn’t the most oxymoronic thing in the world.
The spotlights are always on and they’re always pointed at these loud and glamorous and prosperous people. We pay attention to them because we’re told to pay attention to them. Psalm 73, quoted above, continues as follows:
Their lives look so carefree.
Their bodies are so beautiful,
So strong,
So lithe,
So lovely.
They don’t have to do real work
Or deal with real problems
Like the rest of us.
They flaunt their success in our faces
With their blood diamond bling,
So self-content,
Yet so truly violent.
Their bodies may be lean,
But their eyes bulge with fat —
So lustful,
So covetous,
So endlessly imaginative in their self-love.
They laugh at innocence.
They sneer at earnest, faith-filled people.
They threaten anyone who calls into question
Their me-first lives.
They boast so boldly,
Claiming to be divine,
Their egos so big
The earth can hardly contain them.
But their I-am-God attitude merely makes them
More magnetic.
Crowds can’t resist these celebrities,
Drinking up everything they say and do.
(Everyday Psalms, Psalm 73, 167)
The irony is the news, social media, and popular culture in general usually miss out on the truly important things, the truly important people. It missed out on Moses after he’d walked away from his power position. It missed out on David when he was out with his sheep. It missed out on Jesus in his manger.
Prayer exposes all of the empty posturing and flexing for what it really is: The Mighty Oz is just a silly little man behind a curtain. It does so by focusing on the truly important one, Jesus, the King of kings on the throne.
Prayer: All the noise and flashing lights, the glitz and the glamor — it confuses me, Lord. I think something important is going on and rush to look at it. I think someone important is speaking and I focus on what they’re saying. And in the meantime, you’re speaking a better word. But I’m missing it in all the shouting. You’re doing a better thing, but I’m missing it amid all the posing and the horrible din of my life. Quiet me now. Clear my head, my eyes, my ears, my heart. Regain my attention and restore my affections. In Jesus. Amen.
For further reading: Celebrity Nation: How America Evolved into a Culture of Fans and Followers by Landon Jones. Beacon Press, 2023.