(A newspaper is opened and shown to the audience. Open the pages of the newspaper as you talk as if you were glancing through the paper.) All you have to do is glance through the headlines to see the tragedy that is going on all around us. War. Car wrecks. Storms. Murders. Hurricanes. Floods. It's scary! If you spend very much time reading the paper it can be terrifying!

But Jesus said, "Don't be afraid. Matthew 10:31 "Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows." We don't have to be afraid because God has promised to take care of us. The New Orleans and Twin Towers disasters are filled with stories of God's divine protection over people that believed Him to take care of them. Do we understand why some people were not spared? Absolutely not, but one thing is certain, the only choice we have is to put our trust in a God that loves us and cares tenderly for us.

What should a believer do in a world filled with bad news? Pray. Fill the situation with prayer. (Pour in more water.) When you read something in the paper or hear something on the news. Pray for the people involved. Pray for our government. Pray for the President. Live a godly life so your friends will notice that you are different.  

(The newspaper is now unfolded, shown on both sides and even turned upside down. The water has vanished.) I know you’ve heard it before, but praying doesn’t seem to be enough. It doesn’t seem to make a difference. Living a godly life doesn’t seem to change anything. Believing seems too hard.

 But even when you can’t see it, God is working.  (The performer refolds the newspaper, picks up the glass and pours red liquid out of the newspaper into the glass.) God will move in your situation, if you believe Him to do so. God promised that His Word would not return to Him without accomplishing what it was intended. He promised if we would humble ourselves and pray and repent of our sins that He would hear and that He would heal our nation. He really is the solution to all the problems that face our society today. So keep praying. Keep on being a light for Jesus in your home and on your street and in your school.

 2 Chronicles 7:14 - If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.