Russia has new nuclear weapons. They’ve made NATO’s missile defense system “useless,” reports AP. North Korea test-fires missiles and soon may have missiles that can hit the west coast with nuclear weapons. Madmen shoot up schools. All the systems that should have stopped the latest one failed.

The worst flu in years hits the country and the vaccine doesn’t help much. Even children die of it. Scientists keep warning about all the fault lines that someday will shift and flatter major cities.

The world is a dangerous place. You can die without warning. You can lose your children like that. All these dangers, we can’t control them and we can’t improve our odds of avoiding them. North Korea doesn’t care about Nancy Flory and her son. We have every reason to fear. What is the Christian to do?

The Spirit of Fear, the Spirit of Power

I’m a mother. I know how fast I can go from feeling confidence in God to fretting about my child and my life in general. It’s easy to become fearful when world leaders brag about their weapons or threaten nuclear war. The thought of children getting caught up in a school shooting frightens every parent. And who knows when they’ll get really sick? Or get hit by a natural disaster?

But God has not given Christians the spirit of fear. He’s given us the spirit “of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1:7). Only Christ can provide the “peace that passeth all understanding” (Phil. 4:7). It is in His peace that Christians rest.

He knows the outcome before it happens — and He has overcome everything already. “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

The same God who saved us and gave His Son to redeem us is over all and sees all. Not one sparrow falls to the ground without his knowledge and consent (Matt. 10:29). God is in control and we can lean into that knowledge when we feel afraid. As Christians, we must lean into that knowledge, because that’s the way God wants us to live: Bold and unafraid because we trust in Him.

Pray Without Ceasing: The Christian Response

What can we do in a dangerous world? Pray.

First, pray for our leaders. Even though we know that God is in control, we still pray for our nation’s leaders that they see the truth and have the wisdom to take the correct actions.

Second, pray for our enemies. Pray for President Putin and North Korea’s dictator that God will soften their hearts and turn them toward Him. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?”

Third, pray for safety. King David frequently prayed for his safety, as evidenced in the book of Psalms. He wrote: “God, hear my voice when I complain. Protect my life from the terror of the enemy. Hide me from the scheming of wicked people, from the mob of evildoers, who sharpen their tongues like swords and aim bitter words like arrows, shooting from concealed places at the innocent.”

These people “encourage each other in an evil plan; they talk about hiding traps and say, ‘Who will see them?’ They devise crimes and say, ‘We have perfected a secret plan.'” David ends the psalm by saying, “The righteous one rejoices in the Lord and takes refuge in Him; all those who are upright in heart will offer praise.”

Take refuge in the Lord. Don’t allow fear to overwhelm you. God is still in control.