These are tough days for optimists and humanists. For optimists, it's tough to stay positive because of all the junk going on in the world: there's trouble in the Middle East, our economy continues to teeter precariously, the Gulf oil disaster is out of control, and Al and Tipper Gore are separating after 40 years of marriage. If this can happen, is there any hope for the rest of us?

For the humanist, it's discouraging for many of the same reasons, but the frustration comes not so much from the problems in the world as it does from our inability to solve them. The worse things seem to get, the more it seems we are not in control, and that just frustrates the heck out of anyone who puts their trust in humankind.

Even our technology, which is supposed to be the savior of the world (okay, maybe only Steve Jobs thinks that, but you get the idea), has us spooked. Nevermind that we can't fix the Gulf oil leak. What about Facebook? Talk about losing control. Even though Facebook has tried to assure its nearly half a billion users that they have nothing to fear, a lot of people are concerned that the social media giant knows way too much about us. "People actually use Facebook like it's crack," said one 24-year old social-media savvy user. "So I don't see what the next step is aside from world domination."

Ah yes, world domination, that age old scenario involving a man or entity or country dominating the world is once again raising its ugly head. Forty years ago, when Hal Lindsey was selling a bajillion copies of The Late Great Planet Earth, a lot of Christians were convinced that the Soviet Union (later dubbed the "evil empire" by President Ronald Reagan) was going to take over the world, attack Israel, and bring about Armageddon.

Now, forty years later, a new generation of Christian doomsdayers are proclaiming Islam as the new global menace intent on doing exactly what the Soviets were supposedly going to do--take over the world, attack Israel, and bring about Armageddon.

So where does that leave the rest of us who try are trying live calmly and productively somewhere in the realm between hysteria and bliss, trusting God, following Christ, and just trying to do what the Bible says? In the words of Francis Shaeffer, "How should we then live?"

Fortunately, none other than Jesus himself has given us some guidelines, and they're pretty basic. They fall into three categories: Be ready, be wise, and be watchful.

• Be ready. You never know what's going to happen to the world. All it takes is a lunatic dictator with a nuclear weapon and--voila--World War III. And even if this lunatic doesn't push the Big Button, we need to be ready on a personal level. You never know when you're going to step off the curb and be run over by the proverbial beer truck. As the Bible says: 

How do you know what will happen tomorrow? For your life is like the morning fog--it's here a little while, then it's gone (James 4:14).

• Be wise. Don't fear tomorrow, but be aware of what God has planned for the future. His future plans might be a little fuzzy in the details, but the big picture is pretty clear. At the same time, don't spend your time trying to make predictions. Do what the apostle Paul advises and focus on what God wants you to do: 

So be careful how you live, not as fools, but as those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days. Don't act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do (Ephesians 5:15-17).       

• Be watchful. Keeping watch over something means guarding it against intruders. This applies to your house and your heart. Just as you wouldn't want a thief to sneak into your house when you're sleeping, you don't want the world to end when (and make no mistake, it will end) when you're spiritually sleeping. Jesus was very specific on this subject:

Watch out! Don't let me find you living in careless ease and drunkenness, and filled with the worries of this life. Don't let that day catch you unaware, as in a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. Keep constant watch. And pray that, if possible, you may escape these horrors and stand before the Son of Man (Luke 21:43-36).

If that sounds kind of serious, well, it is. But Jesus doesn't intend for us to panic. He wants us to trust him. We may not be in control, but God is. He knows the future (in fact, he's the only one who knows the future), and he knows what we need to get there. All God asks is that we make him our top priority. Jesus summarizes it perfectly:

Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern (Matthew 6:32,33).

So even if things do get worse (and they probably will), it's not panic time. It's trusting time, and it's time to be ready, wise, and watchful.