After Scrolling on
Social Media

Welcome

Good morning!

Good morning!

I’m Steph Juliot, and this is Praying the News. Our goal is to orient our hearts and minds towards God by praying for a major topic in the headlines. Today, we’re joined by Xan Sibley, who manages The Pour Over’s website, podcasts, social media, and any other digital frontiers we explore.

Topic

Steph: Xan is going to lead us in prayer over the social media landscape.

Xan: I’m excited to be here. This week, Meta reached a $17B settlement with 48 state attorneys general, ending a historic federal trial over social media platforms’ harm to teens. Facebook and Instagram denied wrongdoing, but they agreed to new default settings for underage users.

Scripture Passage

Today’s Scripture passage is Hebrews 6:17-20.

“Because God wanted to show his unchangeable purpose even more clearly to the heirs of the promise, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain. Jesus has entered there on our behalf as a forerunner, because he has become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” (CSB)

Devo

We picked this passage because it holds out the hope of an anchor. Whether you’re 12 or 62, social media promises to feed your cravings for attention, affirmation, and connection but often leaves you hollow and adrift. But there is Someone whose eyes are always on you, who welcomes you into genuine sanctuary, and who follows through on His promise to anchor your soul.

Silent Prayer

Before we pray over our social media usage, let’s take a moment to come before the LORD individually, quieting our hearts and minds before Him.

[15 seconds]

Psalmic Prayer

Let’s pray.

God Our Anchor,as I look up from my phone,feeling overwhelmed, discouraged, and overstimulated…remind me of Your peace and hope.

The feed kept moving—full of outrage,full of polarization,full of opinions,each of them louder than the last,bidding for my attention and devotion.

But You Lord,You see every headline before it breaks.You know every opinion before it’s spoken.You’re never overwhelmed, discouraged,or overstimulated by any of it.

Help me engage with the newswithout being consumed by it.Your Word is the only source that never misleads;and Your gospel is the only newsworth all my attention.Use the headlines to reorient my heartto the truththat the world needs what I carry:peace that comes only from Your Spirit.

As I encounter conflict and confusion,teach me to hold steady;to be informed without being devoured;to lament without losing hope;to be in the world and not of it.

As I scroll past fear and noise,create in me an unshakeable hunger for truth—for the day when all that is in darknessis brought to light,when justice rolls like a riverand all the noise is replaced with melodies of praiseto You alone.

Fix my eyes on that coming day—on Jesus, who holds history in His hands,who authors the beginning and the end,who is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow,no matter what the algorithm says.

Your story is the only one that is everlasting.Amen.

Outro

Amen!

Thank you, Xan. And thank you all for joining us. Beyond our prayer over social media, we pray that this time of calm surrender and focus on God would reshape how you engage with the news today.

You can get all the biggest headlines, summarized and paired with Biblical reminders, from The Pour Over.