Terrorism has been in the news for a long time, but the recent horrific attacks in Paris have forced terrorism to the forefront of our consciousness. We used to feel that America was immune to terrorism, you know, that was something that happened “over there”—9/11 changed all of that. We now know that, like those victims in Paris discovered, even an ordinary day at a concert can be changed into bloody carnage in an instant.

   Have you ever wondered what you would do during a terrorist attack? I have. Without God’s strength, I’m sure I would freak out.

   Of course, there is much more to fear than just terrorist attacks. We know that accidents, crime, or illness could attack us at any time, too. How can we handle the stress that fear, in all of its forms, brings into our lives?

   Ignoring fear is probably the most frequent way we keep from stressing about these gloomy possibilities. We are pretty good at distracting ourselves with entertainment or just allowing the pressures and concerns of everyday life crowd out fearful thoughts. In other words, we just don’t think about it.

   The problem with that is that fear lurks just below the surface of our lives, and we know it can break through at any moment. All of our efforts to keep from thinking about fear don’t help us very much.

   Our fears breed when we feel like we can’t control our circumstances. The plain truth is that they ARE out of our control, and down deep we all know that. What else can we do?

   Since we can’t control what may happen to us in the future, we need Someone much bigger than us who cares enough to take care of us. God is not only all-powerful; He also proved His love for us when he suffered the punishment of our sin that we deserve. That is how we can know that, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride” (Psalm 46:1–3).

   How can we know that God is our refuge? The answer comes a few verses later in Psalm 46: “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth” (Psalm 46:10). In other words, relax and remind yourself how powerful and glorious the God of the universe is. We should set aside some time every day in order to think about God and share our hearts with Him. David calms our hearts with these words: “Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him… Cease from anger and forsake wrath; do not fret; it leads only to evildoing. For evildoers will be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land” (Psalm 37:7–9).

   There is no question that we live in broken (and sometimes scary) world. In spite of that, we can live fear-free because God tells His followers: “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).