Oh my, what a plate-spinning summer this has turned out to be! In the midst of a strange year, there continues to be no shortage of decisions to make and ground to take. I am, not surprisingly, more cut out for the quarantine kind of living than I am the crazy that summer has brought, but I am grounded by this amazing truth: He never changes! And because He never changes, His ultimate call on my life never changes, either. Regardless of the shape any given day may take, there are certain things that stay the same: Called to know Him and love Him with all that I am. Called to serve and love others as myself. Called to nurture my children and teach them of the love of God as we walk, talk, and carry on with whatever life may look like. And that calling is possible each day. Nothing separates me from my ability to do those things, because the grace of God equips me. My times are in His hands.

I read today about David’s desire to build a permanent residence for the ark of the covenant, and God’s answer was kind along the lines of, “Hey, have I ever complained about tent-living?” Why a tent, I thought? Why, indeed, except to convey this message: My Kingdom and My glory are not contained or limited to a place, or a system, or a routine, or a favorite and familiar morning pattern. My desire is to be among you, in the midst of each day, each season, available and near.

He doesn’t live in fully-attended Sunday morning services. His presence isn’t unlocked by coffee in a certain mug at a specific time and only if all the children are sleeping. His wisdom led you yesterday, but it’s available today, too, when suddenly the path takes a sharp twist that you never saw coming. When every week of July and August are something different on the family calendar, and the kids are all sleeping on the floor because their bedrooms are torn apart with renovation, and the bathroom is nothing but studs and exposed electrical, and a seventh baby is growing and sapping strength (or is it that I’m nearing 40, and that is a reality my body isn’t accustomed to?), and an oldest boy is heading into high school and I’ve never done that before — He hasn’t changed, the high call of God in Christ Jesus is still the same, and His grace is sufficient for every need I didn’t even know existed until it hit me.

Will schools open? Will the economy recover? Will we all be okay? Can someone tell me what next week will hold?

Good news: No matter what the answer to those questions and so many others may be, He will walk with us. His presence will be in the midst. He will overcome and He can make us stand. We can be not just unafraid, but confident.

No wonder Proverbs 31 Lady can laugh at the future: She walks with her God, and knows that the unknown future is held by a known God.