It was August, 1995, in war-torn Bosnia. A Bosnian pastor asked me, “Are you and your ministry team willing to share our reality?” I asked what he meant by “our reality”. His reply was, “Are you willing to drive through the snipers with us?” Immediately and then later that night I had visions of the Harrison Ford movie, Clear and Present Danger, when he and his colleagues’ cars were firebombed and hardly anyone escaped. However, since my own colleagues and I knew we were in the Lord’s hand, on His mission to facilitate a peacemaking prayer initiative, and since thousands were in prayer for the nation, we decided to drive north with our Bosnian friends past the Sarajevan snipers. We sang hymns and prayed as we went, feeling the confidence, assurance and peace that come with keeping focused on the Prince of Peace and made it safely through.

Since that time, on numerous occasions for a couple decades with an international humanitarian organization and now with the International Prayer Council, I have found myself in harm’s way. Colleagues and I have had to pass through the territory of Rwanda’s murderous genocidaires in the Democratic Republic of Congo, been chased and targeted with others for death by the Taliban in Pakistan and Afghanistan, as well as other unstable and dangerous situations of civil war or scary travel conditions. Inexplicably from a human point of view, we have again and again felt Christ’s peace and confidence in such situations and gone right through without crippling fear, knowing He was tangibly with us.

We live in an increasingly chaotic and insecure world. The recent Orlando shooting of over 100 nightclub goers by a lone wolf gunman with ideological commitments to ISIS should get our attention, along with similar attacks in Boston and San Bernardino, as well as international incidents in Paris, Brussels and now Istanbul. Many additional radical Muslim-motivated attacks in the Middle East and other parts of the world often go unreported here in the West unless they are epic in their scale. Public gathering places such as shopping malls, athletic events, and church services are likely to be targeted in the near future. How are we as believers in the Lord to respond with both faith and wisdom, not allowing such a possibility to paralyze us?

My son-in-law, a professor of history, said, “I am pretty sure that Jesus wouldn’t want us to take guns to church…I don’t want to live in fear.” That reaction probably captures what most of us think about the issue of security. What does Scripture have to say about living securely? The Psalms, of course, encourage us to remember that “God is our refuge, a very present help in trouble” and that “underneath are the everlasting arms”. “God will keep him in perfect peace” whose mind is stayed on Him, etc., etc. Still, bad things can and do happen to good people. In Charleston, South Carolina, the point-blank assassination of a African American pastor and his eight parishioners in the midst of Bible study by a white racial supremacist is a vivid illustration that in this world no one is completely safe, even devoted Christians.

A couple decades ago, while my family and I were then living in Greater Los Angeles, we heard the traumatic account of how a disgruntled man went up to the pastor of a local church as he was preaching and shot him dead. It was just mercy that an off-duty police woman who had her handgun with her was able to take the killer down with one shot fired across the heads of the congregation as he turned to begin shooting others. Such experiences are still fairly rare and probably will not happen to the great majority of us, but they can paralyze us with a sense of foreboding that may keep us from living joyously and freely. Should we go to that concert or mass prayer gathering? Could an attack happen there?

The other side of Scripture’s affirmation of the Lord’s watch-care over His people is its urging that we be watchful and alert because of the reality of rampant evil in our world. The devil is portrayed as a prowling lion ready to devour those who are unaware and fail to resist him. Jesus “did not entrust himself to any man because he knew what was in man”. He told us to watch and pray to avoid temptation with the destructive snares that come through it. Faith requires us to put our lives and future in the hands of the Lord; wisdom requires that we make practical provision for good security.

What is both a wise and faith-filled approach that we can implement day by day?

1. Pray at the beginning of your day, asking for God’s guidance and protection as you go about your daily routine.
2. Keep alert, listening to His voice. As Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice.” Be sensitive to any inner checks about your plans and activities, God may be redirecting you to protect you from an unknown threat.
3. Pray with others for God’s protection over your home, family, church, community and our nation. Pray for the authorities that they will be vigilant and careful in carrying out their duties at the federal, state and local levels, especially to guard against terrorist schemes.
4. Take reasonable physical precautions when arranging public events and during usual church activities, making sure that someone is tasked with maintaining good security. It could be a security guard or off-duty policeman, or a church member who has been well trained.
5. Be aware of your surroundings and be alert for any suspicious activity that could threaten you or others and report such activity to law enforcement. We are our brother’s keepers!

Finally, there is a time when all of us need to be ready to exchange our lives here for ones of eternal glory and splendor in the presence of Jesus Christ. Until that time we do not need to give way to fear, nor should we. Instead, through prayerfully living and abiding in the peace, joy and strength of His fortifying presence, we will experience the only real security possible in this world. 

John Robb

IPC Chairman