Trump’s grab for Greenland shouldn’t steal our peace

“There are decades when nothing happens, and there are weeks when decades happen.” This quote is attributed to Lenin, the first leader of the Soviet Union… and he knew a thing or two about drastic change!

It feels as though the tectonic plates are shifting - and America is the one shifting them. In the last week, Donald Trump’s threat to annex Greenland has raised the once unthinkable prospect that the US could use its military and economic power to seize territory from a NATO ally.

Several European powers have responded by dispatching troops to the island and pledging to retaliate with tariffs of their own. The UK’s response has been a little less strident than our EU allies.

Security is on everyone’s minds, not only in the Arctic, but also the Middle East. The announcement of Trump’s “Board of Peace” – billing itself as a new international peacekeeping body – is, as to be expected, not without controversy. A $1bn cheque is the price for board membership and – despite Russia’s continued blatant violation of the 1945 UN Charter – President Putin has been invited to join.

Fear and turmoil

There is so much uncertainty and turmoil in our nations, international alliances and in the markets that it makes people fearful. So, when everything is shaking, what does it mean to be citizens of an unshakeable kingdom? (Hebrews 12:28).

Millions of Christians across the world live under persecution. In police states, there is the threat of constant surveillance, curtailed liberty, punitive poverty, imprisonment and even death.

Last week, the launch of Open Doors 2026 World Watch list revealed that North Korea, Somalia, Yemen, Sudan and Eritrea are the five most dangerous countries in which to profess a Christian faith. For our brothers and sisters in those places, intense and constant insecurity is a way of life. When the regime of an earthly kingdom is so evil, those in the persecuted Church know that the Kingdom of God is secure and is advancing. Do you have that same confidence?

As Christians, we must not bury our heads in the sand, but neither should we lose our heads

By comparison, we have it easy, even in these difficult times. We shouldn’t be blasé about the potential collapse of NATO, or economic shocks leading to biting poverty, or the prospect of facing Russia, China and the US as aggressive states acting in bad faith.

The writings of the fourth century Christian theologian, Augustine of Hippo, emphasise that we cannot create a perfect political order on earth because human nature is inclined toward sin. Politics is, therefore, largely motivated by a desire for rule that results in a constant struggle for power. He’s not wrong.

A better end

It is right to be disturbed by rumours of war, to be angry about the hollow promises of peace, and concerned about the effects on the poorest and most vulnerable. If we don’t know what is going on, how will we know what to pray for?

As Christians, we must not bury our heads in the sand, but neither should we lose our heads. We know how the story ends: Jesus wins, Justice wins, the reign of darkness ends. Every tear is wiped away; there will be no more suffering, no more mourning. Everything will be made new. And it will be glorious.

In the meantime, let’s hold on to the peace that is rightly ours. And let’s pray without ceasing for our distressed and worried world. 1 John 4:8 tells us that “perfect love casts out fear”; therefore, we can recognise the insecurity our non-Christian friends feel and offer them hope.

Politics can do better than it is doing right now, but times of strife and instability also give us the opportunity to offer a solution that is ultimate: his name is Jesus.

When the disciples see the resurrected Jesus at the end of Matthew’s gospel, their only response is worship. In these turbulent, anxious days, take heart that the true King is on the move, and he is calling people to know and follow him.