The fear of what might happen plagues everyone at different times of life in all sorts of ways. Personal threat may come through social media even to children or to adults through ransomware extortioners. It could be the threat to cut off your services, to expose you for some wrong-doing or even to go after you physically. News Programmes and the internet offer a mix of news laced with threat around diet, exercise, cost of living and the future with experts always on hand to keep us in a state of tension. Global threats dominate views on the environment, health, food supplies and national security. Threat can be imagined, perceived or real, but the outcome is the same – anxiety seems to be circling around like a bird of prey preparing to get its claws into us as it draws ever closer to intimidate.
- ‘Climate change is the greatest threat to humanity, perhaps ever. Global temperatures are rising at an unprecedented rate, causing drought and forest fires and impacting human health’ – Cary Kennedy
- ‘When we think of the major threats to our national security, the first to come to mind are nuclear proliferation, rogue states and global terrorism. But another kind of threat lurks beyond our shores, one from nature, not humans – an avian flu pandemic’ – Barack Obama
- ‘I think dementia is the major healthcare threat to our economy and our security. It’s a ticking time bomb – we have a whole generation of baby boomers that are going to age, many progressing to get Alzheimer’s – which disproportionately affects women and minorities’ – Vivek Ramaswamy
- ‘We still live with this unbelievable threat over our heads of nuclear war. I mean, are we stupid? Do we think that the nuclear threat has gone, that the nuclear destruction of the planet is not imminent? It’s a delusion to think it’s gone away’ – Kevin Costner
It is no surprise that mental health has been worsening within many demographics, especially among young people. This has been affecting our well-being, our ability to work, and our relationships with friends, family, and community. Mental health conditions are now widespread. Hundreds of millions are now suffering and many more will do over their lifetimes. It’s estimated that 1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men will experience major depression in their lives (Source: Our World in Data). How would you say you are coping on a scale of 0 to 10 (0 being poor mental health and 10 being excellent) with all the threats in your personal space and in the world generally? There are many people around you who have similar and worse scores for we are sentient beings.
Whether you feel connected to God or disconnected with little or no faith is of great relevance here. Threat will either pull you towards God in hope of safety or the fear it generates may drive you into doubt. It has always been the case and is a recurring theme throughout the Bible. The Psalms feature many people who found strength in God but also some who declared that there is no God preferring to make their own way. Jesus looked at the threats facing people during his ministry and met them but he also warned us that threats would increase right up to the days in which we live.
- ‘Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken’ – Psalm 62:1-2
- ‘Only fools think there is no God. People like that are evil and do terrible things. They never do what is right’ – Psalm 14:1
- ‘The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid? …Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident’ – Psalm 27:1,3
- ‘You will hear of wars and rumours of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places’- Matthew 24:6-7
God made us in his image – we have a body, a soul and a spirit which can thrive through connection with him and will become impoverished through any disconnection. Knowing how prone we are to anxiety, Jesus told his followers to look around and learn from nature how God provides food for the birds whilst making plants beautiful. The worst threat is that of being separated from God but the resurrection of Jesus put an end to that.
- ‘O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?’ – 1 Corinthians 15:55
- ‘No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord’ – Romans 8:37-39
You are called to live in the peace that Christ gives knowing he accepts us. Living as a child of God means that you no longer need to live under threat.
- ‘Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting’ – Psalm 139:23-24
Perhaps you’ll be surprised to see Dionne Warwick and Dolly Parton singing together to encourage you to walk this path – it is God’s gift to you:
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