White Noise | Filtering a Noisy World
About this series:
White noise mixes all sounds at once—and life can feel the same, full of mental, emotional, and spiritual static. With constant noise from the world and from within, it’s hard to hear what really matters. This series helps us quiet the clutter, filter out unhelpful voices, and tune in to God. We’ll explore cultural overload, inner stress, and the spiritual drift that happens when God’s voice gets drowned out.
About this talk:
It’s a noisy world in two senses. Firstly, audibly. James Gallagher terms noise ‘an invisible killer.’ He reports on an interview with Professor Charlotte Clark who says, “You have an emotional response to sound.” ‘Sound is detected by the ear and passed onto the brain and one region – the amygdala – performs the emotional assessment. “So your heart rate goes up, your nervous system starts to kick in and you release stress hormones.”’
But secondly, it’s a noisy world in terms of information - social media, news cycles, streaming platforms, etc. We are constantly connected, stimulated, switched on to information from various online sources, often resulting in higher levels of anxiety, comparison and mental fatigue. I read recently that we're now exposed to as much data in a single day as someone in the 15th century would be in their entire lifetime! The inability to be still, to filter out unhelpful information / voices and the general overload of those voices is something that is widely recognised as a major issue in the modern world
The internet has only added to the noise that swirls inside our heads. Kevin DeYoung quotes Nicholas Carr who writes of people who’ve expressed how the internet has ‘scattered their attention, parched their memory, or turned them into compulsive nibblers of info-snacks.’ DeYoung then adds, ‘One final-year college student sent [Carr] a long note describing how he had struggled ‘with a moderate to major form of Internet addiction’ since the third year of primary school. ‘I am unable to focus on anything in a deep or detailed manner,’ the student wrote. ‘The only thing my mind can do, indeed the only thing it wants to do, is plug back into that distracted frenzied blitz of online information.’’
With so much white noise, so many distracting voices calling to us each and every day, how can we learn to filter out the unwanted, unhealthy noise? Perhaps some permanent noise- cancelling headphones would help!
But we do have a choice - we can make some changes. Paul writes to the church at Philippi and in their pre-information overload, pre-internet culture, instructs them, “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” (4:8). Or, as Eugene Peterson rewords it, “Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious - the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Even then, people had to make choices about what they thought about, what they allowed to occupy their minds” (The Message).
What would it look like if, even for a short period of time, we only filled our minds with whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable? It might feel very unusual to begin with, but it just could be revolutionary. So how do we take control of our digital lives; how can we curate what we consume? Perhaps we could choose one source of noise to cut out for seven days (social media app, news, constant texting) and develop the discipline of a digital detox. This would have at least two benefits: reducing the white noise and freeing our minds so we can actually hear God.
Audio only
Devotional: Choosing the Better Way
Philippians 4:4–9
As a new year begins, there is often a brief moment when life feels quieter.
But it never lasts.
Soon the rhythm returns, the notifications buzz, and the voices compete for attention again.
Before we realise it, we are living at full volume—externally busy and internally cluttered.
Into that noise, the apostle Paul speaks with surprising clarity.
“Rejoice in the Lord always…
Do not be anxious about anything…
Think about whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable.”
Paul isn’t pretending the world is quiet. He’s teaching us how to filter it.
Life is full of white noise—when too many frequencies play at once and nothing stands out clearly. And the danger isn’t just external noise, but internal overload.
Paul shows us that peace doesn’t come from escaping noise, but from choosing what we allow to shape our minds.
Rejoice — because joy re-centres your focus on God, not circumstances.
Pray — because prayer shifts anxiety into dependence.
Think — because what fills your mind eventually forms your life.
Practice — because peace is sustained through obedience, not intention alone.
Filtering noise is not a one-time decision; it’s a daily discipline.
Discussion Questions
Noise: What external or internal noise most consistently steals your peace?
Mind: What kinds of thoughts dominate your thinking during the day—anxious, critical, grateful, or hopeful?
Prayer: When anxiety rises, is prayer your reflex or your last resort?
Focus: What voices (media, people, habits) shape you more than Scripture right now?
Peace: Can you recall a time when filtering your inputs led to greater clarity or calm?
Application
This week, choose one noise source to filter for seven days.
Ask God:
“Lord, what is the loudest voice competing with Yours in my life?”
Then practice one intentional change:
Digital: Limit or remove one app, platform, or notification.
Mental: Replace worry or overthinking with Philippians 4:8 reflection.
Spiritual: Commit to Scripture before phone each morning.
Physical: Create a daily moment of silence—no music, no screens, no distractions.
End each day by praying:
“God of peace, tune my heart to Your voice. Teach me to live at the volume of Your truth.”
