Terror

I know that “terroristic threats” are on the mind of many people these days. Those folk who are likely to be outdoors at big events (running, concerts, sporting events, bicycling, etc.) know those kinds of things have a history of threats. I read some facts that I thought might help if you tend to be worried.

In the years since 9/11, jihadist terrorists have managed to kill about six people a year within the United States — including the recent atrocity in Manhattan. These deaths are tragedies, no doubt. But some comparisons are warranted: lightning kills about 46 people a year, deer-caused car accidents another 150 and drownings in bathtubs around 300. While violence from terrorism presents a concern for the United States, the scope of the hazard is so limited that it is a considerable stretch to even label it a “threat.” (TIME)

For Believers, worry and fear are not Godly options. We have the promise of God that He will always provide His presence and power in regard to the issues of our life. While it is certainly true that Believers may find themselves in dangerous and deadly situations, God is there to provide His sufficiency. It is appointed that all of us will die one day (see Hebrews 9:27), but that can never happen outside God’s design.

The  writer of the information above added the following. They are wise words if you are concerned: As we mourn the lives lost — and sort through our fears after acts intended to inspire them — we must also remind ourselves that it was an exceedingly rare event. I once asked a man at the National Institutes of Health how much he would pay to eliminate a disease that killed six people a year. He looked at me as if I’d lost my senses. (IBID.)

The Apostle Paul, writing to the Church of Philippi said: Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Wiser still are the words of our Savior: Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. (Matthew 6:34)