If you’re a news junkie, this is a “good” time. A heated battle between Israel and Hamas. An ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. A significant change at Singapore’s top leadership levels. Weather crises in different countries. To some, perhaps, bad news is good news.

Some of the news no doubt make for great coffeeshop discussion, and some may well make into the pages of history. Will they last as long as some of the more significant news in recent history, like the Sept 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the Covid-19 pandemic? Perhaps some will.

But, I think, most will not. News tends to date fast; events, incidents, and trends are easily overtaken and forgotten in the passage of time. And that’s somewhat true of the “big news” in the Bible, too.

In the background of many of the familiar Bible stories were big events going on. Some were on a near-global scale, such as the rise and fall of empires and rapid spread of peoples across continents.

Yet, many of these events are insignificant to most of us today. “These would have been the headlines of the time, filling newsfeeds and driving conversation, though now long forgotten unless we read an esoteric history or explore the internet,” observes Matt Lucas, president of Our Daily Bread Ministries. Yet, he points out, they matter little to the average reader today.

Instead, what are the stories we remember most? The small ones. The little incident of the elderly widow who gave the only few coins she had to the temple and was praised by Jesus (Luke 21:1–4), the Samaritan woman at the well whom He spoke to (John 4:5–42) . . . and the many, many other little stories that encourage, comfort, and inspire us today, and which we often recall in our times of difficulty, or remind others in theirs.

Why? Because these are stories we can relate to. Not only that, these are stories of ordinary individuals (many who are not even named!) whose lives have been touched and transformed by God in deep, meaningful ways. Ultimately, though we may be interested in the big news around us, what really matters to us are the stories of the people who matter most to us—ourselves, our families, our friends.

As Matt astutely notes, the big events—those that took place 2,000 years ago in biblical times, as well as today’s wars, revolts, and celebrity gossip—will likely be lost in time, but people will still be reading John 4, about what Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well.

He concludes: “As we minister around the world, let’s not be focused on the headlines but instead be looking for Jesus-moments where He shows up and heals what is broken. Those are the stories that will reverberate through eternity.”

May this truth guide our reading and reflection today.

Of course, it is important to be aware of and understand the big news, for they have an impact on our daily lives and our immediate future. But may we also remember that sometimes, it’s the small stories that really matter and which may that last forever—the stories of God at work in our lives.

Father, thank You for writing my life story and for transforming my life. Teach me to look out for the stories of You working in others’ lives too, that I may find more reasons to praise and glorify You, and tell others about Your greatness, love, and salvation.

If you have a story to share of God’s work in your life, please write to singapore@odb.org. We’d love to hear from you.