As on 9/11, President Bush went on television within hours to reassure citizens of the "free world" that "we shall not be intimidated by the terrorists, and we will spread an ideology of freedom and compassion."

British Prime Minister Tony Blair did the same this morning, vowing to defend "our values and our way of life" and promising that terrorists shall "never succeed in destroying what we hold dear in this country and in other civilized nations."

Anyone who has traveled in the past four years will have no doubt that our "values and way of life" are going to be defended. Soldiers and armed security guards are already a common sight at major airports and train stations. After today, we will see more.

But it seems to me that amid all the tumult, we are missing the most important thing. If 9/11 really changed us (as so many people claim) then why are we once again seeking protection in heightened security and military might? If we have really seen enough bloodshed and violence, then why aren't we turning to God for help?

I don't just mean talking about God. At least here in the United States, I have never heard so much religious language as since 9/11. But how many of us have truly stopped and tried to listen to what God is saying?

Biblical history shows us that whenever we think we have the answers and try to take world events into our hands, God withdraws from us. It was only when the children of Israel realized that their own strength had come to an end, and cried out to God, that he intervened and helped them. If God led the children of Israel out of Egypt, how much more will he help us today?

Speaking of Israel, I have just returned from a visit there. While in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem I heard story after heartbreaking story of the horrific suicide bombings that have torn families apart and spread fear through every neighborhood. Each story was a sobering reminder of how precious life is.

The London terror attacks show us the same thing: that life can be over in an instant. All the more, then, we must live every day to the full, reaching out to those around us, and praying that those who have been injured or lost loved ones are comforted. Only in this way will we be given a sense of purpose and confidence that drives away our fears.

On a broader level, we must remember that terror affects everyone. Yesterday it was New York; today it is London. But tomorrow a million other people in another city could be affected. We must stop thinking just of our own countries, and do what we can--even if only on a personal level--to build a more united global community.

Otherwise, in trying to defend ourselves, we will end up doing just the opposite: we will destroy ourselves, and our children will grow up thinking that violence and death are the norm. As Jesus once said, "He who saves his life will lose it, but he who loses it for my sake will be saved." He also taught us to love our enemies, even those who persecute us, and said that there is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friend.

It was in this spirit that our Bruderhof community (www.bruderhof.com) sent a family to Thailand after last December's tsunami to comfort the widows and orphans by offering concrete help. It is also why we recently bought a house in a rundown neighborhood of London. (After yesterday's bombings, we decided to send a young family to join the couple who were already there, simply to combat the atmosphere of anxiety by building community.)

Almost one hundred years ago, at a time of even greater violence and uncertainty in Europe--the outbreak of the First World War--the German pastor Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt wrote this about overcoming fear:

"We fear war and the shedding of blood. We are anxious about ordinary living. We don't know what tomorrow will bring. At times it seems that everything is being pulled out from under us. Industries and trades are collapsing...and through new political alliances, everything is being changed...

"Yet as long as the earth has turned, such uncertainties have existed. And for us who seek God, they ought to be of secondary importance... If we fail to wake up and to live single-heartedly for God, then no statesman, no army, can protect us.

"In the end, our only true protection is Jesus. And so we must make room for him, by repenting, and by surrendering to him all that we have and are. If we sacrifice ourselves, Jesus will be with us. And with him we will have no fear."

We have lost sight of this simple truth, and our sanity, and need to get it back.

Anyone who is familiar with the Gospels knows that this very same message--"Fear not; I am with you to the end of the age"--shines from every page. If we claim to be followers of Jesus, shouldn't it shine through our lives as well?

--Johann Christoph Arnold is an author and pastor with the Bruderhof Communities.