“O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways” (Psalm 139:1-3. NKJV).
Social media sites have created a phenomenon around the world. Depending on one’s platform and content, overnight stardom is possible. However, stardom comes with a stark warning: Be careful what you say! Lives have been ruined as quickly as popularity grows. Putting oneself onto the stage of popularity is like intentionally asking to stand before a jury of one’s peers for judgement in the court of public opinion. Facts rarely matter in this court; judgement is quick, subjective, and final. Children creating content on the internet is giving them access to one of the most dangerous places in the world and giving that same world access to them. Even in our homes with doors locked and the alarm set, online predators have no barriers.
The younger generation and some not so young spend hours every day working solely on becoming “influencers.” Lucrative income is possible. Subscribe and click the ‘Like’ button below. Instantly, hundreds, sometimes millions of eyes are watching everything you write, and the “jurors” are deliberating.
Someone else knows you and me Who transcends time, space, technology, and cultures; His name is Yahweh, God. The psalmist wrote thousands of years ago, before humans developed internet technology, that before you were born, God knew you. Before you “were made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth…” (vs. 15). God knew you. You, my friend, are an “Influencer” of the highest order. Unlike the world, God loves you and desires only His best for your life. He sees not only what you write, God knows what you think. He wants you to succeed, not in worldly popularity, rather in becoming who He created you to be.
When the sun, stars, and moon no longer exist; when the internet shuts down after the final curtain call, only One will remain Who matters. Jesus Christ will be “high and lifted up” for all to see: The Ultimate Influencer.
For deeper understanding and blessing, please read Psalm 139.