“You love evil rather than good, falsehood rather than speaking the truth.” Ps. 52:3
“So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter. Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey.” Is. 59:14-15
“Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor for we are all members of one body.” Eph. 4:25
“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32
We review the life of Walter Cronkite with words like “honest”,”truthful”, and “integrity”, and we mourn for the loss of voices we can trust. As news and entertainment media have merged, we focus more on reports of the personal and petty than on understanding and working through the larger issues of our day. The difficulty of those issues is minimized, and understanding undermined, as efforts are made to assign “winners” and “losers” within each 24 hour news cycle. Words that serve more to inflame than to inform are repeated over and over. Isolated “facts” and “statistics” devoid of context are cited with breathless speculation of potential adverse consequences. The constant stream of information confuses and overwhelms. Efforts to address inequalities and injustice are slowed or stalled.
Strengthen us O Lord to seek your truth. Help us to speak truthfully to one another, moving beyond a war of data and slogans to an authentic sharing of experience, values, and knowledge. Help us to listen to one another with respect and care. And keep us focused on the great needs before us.
Redeem us O Lord, God of Truth (Ps. 31:5), and help us to find a better path.
Amen
Prayers For Our Country 