The Bible says, ‘We are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.’ We’ve been designed to do good works, and to carry out His plan here on earth. But we can often look at the terrible things going on in the world and find it all too overwhelming. We see pictures on the news of starving children and people dying from preventable illnesses because they can’t afford to get food or treatment. We read about modern slavery and exploitation. We hear about escalating conflicts between countries. And in the middle of all that, we can start to ask ‘What can I do? How can I make a difference?’ The problems seem so massive, and we can feel that we don’t have any power to do anything about them. But with God’s help, we can make a difference – ‘with God all things are possible’ (Matthew 19:26 NIV). The first thing we can do is pray for the situations that touch our hearts and for those who are suffering. ‘If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us’ (1 John 5:14 NIV). Our prayers are powerful, because when they’re in line with God’s will, He’ll act. We could also volunteer at a local charity or help out with a church mission that works for the cause that God’s placed on our heart, and donate to it if we can. We can’t solve the massive problems in the world by ourselves, but that shouldn’t stop us getting involved somehow, even if our contribution seems small. We just need to do whatever we can, and trust God to help us with the rest.

What now?

Commit to regularly spending a few minutes praying with a group of friends for whatever’s in the news, and for any other world problems that have pulled at your heart. Ask Him to show you how you can help.