Brothers and sisters, the world we live in is in very bad shape.
I am writing this in Jerusalem on the evening of September 11th, 2025. It is the 24th anniversary of the deadliest terrorist attack in human history, and like most people who were alive on September 11th, 2001, this day always brings with it memories of that terrible day and everything that came afterwards.
But, with all due respect, the 9/11 terror attack is starting to be something that happened kind of a long time ago, whereas there's plenty that's happened just in the last month, or even the last week, that's got me feeling sad and also very worried for my own future and even more so the future of my two young children.
This week started with a deadly terrorist attack here in Jerusalem that left eight people dead, including the two attackers, as well as many others wounded.
Then the very next day, we got news that our government had hit a meeting of Hamas bigshots in Doha, Qatar. As of this afternoon, the news reports are saying that it's likely most of these bigshots survived, and even if they didn't, there are going to be some downsides to this move.
For instance, scanning the headlines this morning, I see that Canada(!) is "evaluating" their ties with Israel and senior officials in the Spanish government are making statements lamenting that they don't have nuclear weapons so they can't defend Hamas against Israel.
I'm not making that up. Senior elected officials in Spain actually said that.
Then of course, there are the threats by several other European countries, Canada, and Australia to recognize a Palestinian State at the UN General Assembly later this month.
Then there's the whole Greta Thunberg flotilla thing.
Last but certainly not least, I woke up this morning to the horrifying news that Charlie Kirk had been assassinated.
Again, this was just in the last week, and there were many other things that happened this past week, which I could add to this list, including a staggering number of natural disasters, economic problems, wars and rumors of wars. the rising number of cases of various infectious diseases with the potential to explode into a new pandemic, and the list just goes on and on.
Anyone who watches the news regularly will be able to make their own list of scary, sad, ghastly, depressing and even terrifying things that are going on in this world.
The headlines just get gloomier and scarier with each passing day. Social media can make us even more gloomy, as we see the reactions to some of these headlines by people we thought we knew, but they show a side of themselves we never suspected was there, and wish we had never learned about.
If we focus on the gloominess, we can be overwhelmed with despair and start to feel hopeless.
Here's what I suggest as an alternative.
First, let's take a look at one of my favorite passages of Scripture, 1 Timothy 2:1-3; Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
When we read this passage, we are reminded that every single one of us can "do something" about the terrible situation this world we live in has gotten itself into.
You and I are not victims or helpless bystanders. We might not be able to decide for ourselves who the political leadership of our country, state, city, or even local community council is going to be, but we CAN pray for those who are in those positions of authority. This is always important but its even more important if the people in positions of authority are people we didn't vote for.
In my humble opinion, it is just as important to pray for the local leadership as state and national leadership. Many people will pray for the President or Prime Minister. Very few people even know the name of the mayor of the town you live in, the principal of the school your children attend, the coach of your kid's baseball team, etc. These people might not have vast authority over big things but they have IMMENSE power and influence over your life and the lives of your friends and family.
So pray for the mayor of the city you live in. Pray for the superintendent of schools, the principal at your children's school and the teacher in charge of the classroom where they spend their day. Pray for the parents of all the other children in the class, that they will be good, loving parents who set a good example for the children your child spends most of their time with.
Pray for the police and fire chiefs, the person in charge of the ambulance service and the hospital where you'll be taken in an ambulance if you ever need it. Pray for your boss if you're blessed to have a job. Pray for the person in charge of the store where you get your groceries and any other store where you get things you need on a regular basis.
I know some of you might think I'm going a little overboard here, but remember, 1 Timothy 2:1-3 says to pray for ALL those who are in positions of authority!
Last but certainly not least, pray for the pastor of the congregation you attend, and pray for the pastoral leadership and elders of all the other congregations in the city, state and country you live in. These pastors and elders, deacons and deaconesses, have so much to do, and they have so much expected of them, and they are only human beings. Pastors have one of the highest rates of burnout of any profession. Many pastors struggle with depression and anxiety, and not a few turn to substance abuse and other bad behavior in search of relief.
That's because the enemy targets them relentlessly, and most of them have little or no prayer support, much less practical support, from their congregation or anyone else. They feel all alone in their struggles, and sadly, many of them are.
Brothers and sisters, if you want to know why the world is falling apart, a big part of the reason is that the Church of Jesus Christ is not praying enough.
Remember Ephesians 6:12; For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
If that doesn't ring any bells for you, then you need to check your pulse to make sure you're still alive.
Now at this point, I want to throw out an old saying that "all politics is local."
That principle applies to everything, really.
"Local" is where you spend the overwhelming majority of your time. Of course, there are things that affect your life and mine that are happening on a state and national level, and so of course, you should spend time praying for those issues. But most of your prayer time and almost all of your practical efforts should be directed at improving the situation in whatever "local" area you live in.
Beyond praying, I would strongly urge you to get directly involved in doing whatever you can to strengthen your local congregation. Go to the prayer meeting. Volunteer to teach the Sunday school. If you aren't tithing yet, start tithing. Give as much of your time, resources, efforts and energy to your congregation as you can. Local congregations are the foundation of a healthy community. If you take care of your local congregation, your local congregation can take care of the community you live in, and if enough communities get their act together, they'll take care of the problems at the state and national level.
I'll close with another old saying from the world of fitness (you should be taking care of your health too, because there's nothing more "local" than the body you'll be living in as long as you're on this earth) and it goes like this; "The best time to start eating healthy and exercising is 20 years ago. The second best time is right now."
That's true of praying for those in authority and investing in your local community as well. It would have been better if we all started doing these things in earnest 20 years ago, but it's too late for that, so all we can do is start getting serious about it right now.
As a post-script, since the new school year just started in most countries where this blog will be read, I HIGHLY recommend that you check out "Moms in Prayer" which is an organization that helps parents organize themselves into groups to pray for their children and schools.