Haiti’s death toll from last week’s earthquake rises ever higher. As of this moment, it is over 1,200. 

In Afghanistan, Taliban members go from home to home killing those who worked with Americans. Women and children are raped and turned into sex slaves and are forced into marriages to Taliban warriors. 

A report yesterday tells us that due to the new variants of COVID, up to eighty percent of people now alive will come down with COVID up to two or three times in their lives. 

It must be Monday. 

Paul Harvey used to say, “In times like these, it’s good to remember there have always been times like these.” He was right. Those who know history, know how our world has endured similar catastrophes. In every age, there have been men and women who pushed through the pain and the problems to build a better world. Now it’s our turn. 

The headlines and videos are nauseating. If you could write better headlines, what would you say? Here is a prayer prompt for today: Write those headlines and pray that way. 

News media darlings and carefully curated pundits will assess blame in print and on screen. Pay little attention to such foolishness. Instead, listen and look for those who seek to bring solutions rather than blame. In a land you would have trouble finding on a map, a group of world leaders is meeting. They are seeking a preferred path forward through the mayhem, death, and disease we are now witnessing. 

What headlines will you write for leaders like these? What prayers will you pray for them? 

Mr. Rogers famously told us to look for the helpers on days like this. Indeed, look for them. Pray for them. Join them in bringing God’s peace, comfort, and healing. It is time for mature and wise men and women to step up and lead the way.