There are seasons when the noise of the world becomes almost unbearable.
News cycles that never rest. Conflicts that stretch across oceans. Uncertainty that settles into the chest like a weight we cannot quite name. In moments like these, the temptation is to keep scrolling, keep watching, keep consuming as though more information will somehow bring more peace.
It rarely does.
The ancient words of the writer of Hebrews speak directly into this:
“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)
Fix your eyes. Not glance. Not occasionally check in. Fix your eyes.
There is intention in that word. A deliberate turning away from the chaos, toward Christ.
The World Will Always Have Something to Offer
And it is rarely peace.
Scripture does not pretend the world is quiet. Jesus Himself acknowledged it plainly:
“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
He did not say if trouble comes. He said when. And yet the very next breath was not despair – it was victory. The One who overcame the world is the same One we are invited to fix our eyes upon.
The world offers us anxiety dressed as information.
Outrage dressed as justice.
Noise dressed as connection.
But God offers something entirely different.
“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You.” (Isaiah 26:3)
Perfect peace. Not partial. Not occasional. Perfect – reserved for the mind that is stayed on Him.
The Discipline of Unplugging
This is not passive. It is a practice.
Unplugging from the world’s noise is not avoidance – it is obedience. It is choosing, deliberately and repeatedly, to fill the soul with what is eternal rather than what is urgent.
Paul puts it beautifully:
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8)
This is a curriculum. A list of what we are meant to feed our minds. And when we hold it next to the average news feed or social media scroll, the contrast is striking.
The world says: stay informed, stay outraged, stay engaged.
God says: stay anchored, stay surrendered, stay filled.
There is a reason Jesus frequently withdrew. From crowds. From noise. From even the needs pressing in around Him.
“But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” (Luke 5:16)
If the Son of God needed to unplug and return to the Father, how much more do we?
Filling the Soul With Things Above
The soul does not do well with a vacuum. What we empty out must be replaced and what we replace it with matters deeply.
“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” (Colossians 3:2)
This is not a suggestion to be spiritual in a vague, general sense. It is a command to deliberately redirect our attention – upward, heavenward, toward the things of God.
What does that look like practically?
It looks like opening Scripture before opening a screen.
It looks like prayer before the podcast.
It looks like worship when worry starts to rise.
It looks like stillness in a world that profits from our restlessness.
“Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)
Not busy. Not informed. Not productive.
Still.
He Is Still the Anchor
The world will continue to spin. Wars will be reported. Uncertainties will multiply. The noise will not quiet itself on our behalf.
But we are not without an anchor.
“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” (Hebrews 6:19)
When everything around us shifts, He does not. When the headlines are heavy and the heart is weary, the invitation remains the same – fix your eyes. Unplug from the world’s relentless pull. Fill your soul with what is true, noble, pure, and lovely.
Not because the world’s problems aren’t real.
But because the One who holds the world is more real still.
Come to the porch today. Be still. Look up.
He is there.