Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie! — Psalm 40:4 (ESV)
“False News!” That claim is not limited to political candidates.
Suppose we hear something we don’t like, a claim that may be uncomfortable, or an assertion that confronts our belief system. In that case, it only takes two words to deflect: “False News!” We can call anything that doesn’t agree with our truth false.
Just two words (“false news”) can quickly release me from the uneasiness of self-examination.
There’s a war against absolute truth. It’s not a new war. It has been raging since the beginning of time. Today, personal preference can be so strong that it will ignore science. What I want and desire becomes “my truth.” I’m willing to live with diverse opinions and ideas, so long as they do not challenge “my truth.”
But what if “my truth” is “false news?” Jeremiah reminds us:
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? — Jeremiah 17:9
Not everything I desire is pure, righteous, or healthy for my soul. Jeremiah understands that if all I have is “my truth,” I can quickly be led astray by lies. He reminds us that “the LORD searches the heart and tests the mind” (Jeremiah 17:10).
The Psalmist and Jeremiah both point us to the source of absolute truth, the LORD!
Jesus said: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
“False News” is not limited to the media. It’s all around us and even in us.
The Psalmist asserts that those who trust the LORD will not be led astray by lies (delusion, deception, falsehoods). With so much “false news,” it’s wise to discover God’s truth. “Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name” (Psalm 86:11).
So, the question before us is: Whom do we trust?