Four days after the suicide bombers took off from Boston’s Logan airport in September 2001, the city was set to host an all day prayer gathering at City Hall. Despite the sobering reality that Boston and the entire eastern seaboard were in lock-down mode, the leaders of the event decided to proceed as planned.

On Friday, September 14, the Boston Herald headline read, “There will be Blood on the Streets of Boston Tomorrow.*”

My husband and I had planned to go and take our three young children with us. We went back and forth trying to discern the invisible line of demarcation between being courageous or foolish.

Today’s bombing at the finish line of the Boston Marathon will forever scar all who were wounded or witnessed the event. As with veterans or victims of abuse, loud sudden noises will trigger flashbacks. They will have to make intentional decisions about going out into a public venue—as will all of us. For this attack, and every such attack, designates yet another aspect of our life as potentially unsafe.

The apostle Paul wrote in his letter to Timothy, “For God did not give us a spirit of fear and timidity but of power, love, and self-discipline.”  Other passages in the Bible refer to this spirit of fear. Just one look at the faces of the bystanders and you have a sense of the terror that they experienced. It’s almost as if the makers of the bomb included hatred, fear, and death as integral components of the device.

How then do we live? Do we choose to avoid all events or situations which resemble any previous attacks? Do we hunker down and mistrust everyone?

Exactly one month from September 11, 2001, I boarded an American Airline flight from Boston to San Francisco for my sister’s wedding. It was the same route, same airline, same departure time as the plane which slammed into the World Trade Center. As I stepped over the threshold of the jet bridge onto the plane, I overheard a conversation between two flight attendants. “I can’t believe it’s been an entire month since it happened.” Then they burst into tears. I paused. And then I started crying too. But I got on that plane and flew across the country in order to witness the wedding.

Some will never again attend the Boston Marathon. (I get this and I would never criticize anyone for making that decision. My husband and three children also had tickets for that American Airline flight back in 2001 and they decided to stay put.) Some will need therapy to overcome the shock and stress which will result from this horrific act. As someone who has fought against fear for most of my life, I would like to encourage all who are praying for the victims of this attack and the city of Boston to ask God to speak supernatural peace into our spirits tonight. Ask for divine intervention in subduing this spirit of fear that would come and rob us of life.

In a later letter to the church in Ephesus, Paul wrote, “For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.”

Events like those at the finish line today cause this verse to take on greater significance. It is a war zone out there, and we often forget this reality. On September 15, 2001, my family did attend the prayer gathering; it was the only way we knew how to fight these powers of darkness. As long as I have life and breath, I will continue to press in and resist this nefarious spirit.

God, please extend your mercy and comfort to all who were affected by the blast today. And let us not forget our brothers and sisters around the world who have no escape from this reality. Give us wisdom and courage Lord. Amen.

(* This is our recollection of the headlines. I could not find this online to confirm.)