God’s world is the real world

Every year about this time—out with the old fiscal year, in with the new—the overriding, collective feeling around WORLD’s office is a sense of gratitude.

We try always to be thankful, of course, as the Bible says: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

But throughout the year our focus often turns more to the task at hand than to the hand that provides.

Then, with a jolt, God redirects our attention toward Him, the source of all good. Often, He uses the tremendous generosity of our readers, listeners, and viewers to bring us back to reality.

Reality. That’s important for a news organization. Here’s where we tend to lose track of it: when we begin to think of our work as anything other than service to God through service to His people; when we begin to believe that our success or failure (especially success) is primarily dependent on our own effort; and when we begin to report news stories as if there’s no bigger story behind them.

We’re tempted on all of those fronts, and others. We need God’s jolt to remind us that we need Him.

This year, just like many other years before, you have provided that jolt. Throughout the year, we are encouraged by your deep engagement with our mission. Your questions about, and even criticism of, our work are blessings. The way you introduce WORLD to your neighbors, co-workers, and family members is extraordinary. Many of you have given gift subscriptions to WORLD, God’s World News, or WORLD Watch.

And the big reason it’s impossible to miss the reality of God’s provision at this time of year: Your charitable contributions to support the mission of WORLD just keep coming! When we’re surprised by how much you give, you give even more. This fiscal year, more than 13,000 of you gave what you could, at God’s direction, to WORLD’s work. That’s in addition to the cost of your own subscriptions and the thousands of gift subscriptions you give.

Those are the extraordinary facts that have jolted us back to the reality of God’s provision for us at the end of this fiscal year. And so we are grateful, to God and to you, for reminding us of reality.