Have you ever had that dilemma swirling around in your cranium, “What should I write about?” I am having that discussion with myself as I sit here. On the one hand I really want to write about lessons learned from hunting and God’s provision for His people. Seeing as I will not be going hunting this fall, that is a topic on the forefront of my mind. But then how can I write about hunting when I have just heard the amazing news from my wife that my sixth grandchild was born yesterday! I so want to write about the difference between going through this grandfather experience as the father of the father and going through this grandfather experience as the father of the mother. The pride and love for the mother, and the father, of these little newborns is immense. I so love my daughter-in-laws! I could not be more thankful for them, but seeing the young female, who has held your heart captive ever since you first looked into her beautiful, brown eyes, go through the miraculous birthing process (COVID restrictions in place of course) is quite a different experience! There is a difference between boys and girls! And the relationship between a father and his daughter is complicated, but oh so heart encompassing! I could write about that?

But what about the massive, life-altering condition we call COVID-19? How do believers in Jesus respond and live a Godly life in this present age? There is plenty to unpack there! Oh but can I really not mention the massive impact of the current political climate in our country? Okay, you have heard enough on that! How about examining our hearts as believers in Christ with regards to loving others, especially those of a different race or culture than we are comfortable with? Can we begin to long for every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation standing before the throne of God united together in worship? Wouldn’t it be amazing to love in that way right now?

Those are just some of the topics I have contemplated writing about, but then what truly stuck with me is to declare what Christians need to not only realize, but also declare frequently. God is immutable and omnipotent! Immutable is the attribute that God is unchanging. Omnipotent speaks to the attribute that God is all-powerful. Both of these attributes of the One True God give us the undeniable assurance that “God has got this!”

So how do we respond in a culture and world that is so rapidly changing all around us? Where do we look to for strength and stability? The answer is we need to continually place our faith in God who is Immutable. He is the one surety that we have in this life. We can fully trust in the words He told Joshua in Joshua 1:5, and again stated in Hebrew 13; “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” God wants to freely give peace, comfort, and calm to His people. But He so desires us to spend time with Him. It takes investment of time and study in God’s Word to realize all of the promises He desires to share with us. There is not a quick, “cliff-notes” type of approach where a good deal of the work has been done for us. The true benefit of time in God’s Word is that we are changed by His Word.

When confusion and calamity seem more standard than not, can we trust that something or someone has control of the world? Do we really believe that God is in control of this perceived chaos we call life on earth? Perspective is a powerful thing. When we have the perspective that God is Omnipotent and in control of all things, not only on this earth but also in the universe, there is a combination of peace and wonder that overtake our anxiety. Just take ten minutes and read about God stating His case to Job in Job 40-41! One cannot read this message without being deeply impacted as to the majesty, design, and power that belong to the One Creator God! I think the fact that Job was even able to respond to God speaks to Job’s faith in the justice and mercy of God. When we are compelled to think as Job was instructed to think, it is not hard to realize there is nothing outside the control of God Almighty!

So my earnest plea for each of us on earth is to navigate the time given us according to these three “R’s.” Realize, Rest, and Respond. First, we need to realize the One True God for who He is! Not just a pre-school level of knowledge so we can answer elementary trivia. But really think, study, and revere what God reveals about Himself through His word. Second we need to rest in Him. When we work to figure out how we can navigate the current dilemma, we are actually telling God to sit this one out! The Christian church in America has been trying to figure out a way to live with one foot in the world and one foot in God’s Kingdom for far too long. Guess what? It can’t be done! And now we are at the place where secular society is forcing Christians to choose who they are going to serve. Society is making it so you cannot serve both God and human philosophy. Thirdly, we need to respond to God’s leading in our lives. Not just lip service, but actual commitment. The book of James states this so clearly in James 1:22. “But be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” How tragic if we convince ourselves that we are serving God only to find out that we were deceiving ourselves because we would not obey the Word of God. If we Realize who God is, Rest in who God is, and Respond to what God says, this world still might not make total sense to us. But we can wholly trust in what is to come after this world has run the course. This is because God has planned it all from the beginning and we can trust in Him.