Looking at current events going on around us and trying to make sense of it all, it’s easy to get confused about what’s right and what’s wrong. Every day we see things, both globally and in our own communities, that violate our inner sense of justice. Unless our mindsets are anchored in something that can never be shaken, we can feel totally swept away. Some people are so confused by it all that they wonder if God even exists; the answer to this is yes, and He’s very real.

We aren’t simply living in the midst of random chaos, and God isn’t some mystical benevolent character up in the sky. Have you ever watched a brilliantly colorful sunset, smelled the salty sea air at the beach in summertime, or seen springtime flowers resolutely growing in places where you’d never think to see them? None of that simply happened by accident. “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork” (Psalm 19:1, NKJV). The reality of God surrounds us, and if we stop long enough to take a good long look around us, we’ll see the evidence of His handiwork.

Although what’s happening today may seem turbulent and frightening, there’s always another side to the story. How these events affect us is determined by how we choose to view them. There will always be people who declare there is no God but, two thousand years ago, God Himself predicted the present times. “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom…At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other…Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold” (Matthew 24:6, 7, 10, 12, NIV). This may seem like bleak reality, but God’s love for us is just as real, and it’s stronger than anything in the universe.

God is the very essence of love, and when we love others we acknowledge Him. “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him” (1 John 4:16). This kind of love isn’t just warm fuzzy feelings, but an intentional decision we make. Godly love is demonstrated when people reach out to help others in times of need. It can be something as simple as visiting an elderly shut-in, preparing meals to feed hungry children, or opening up one’s home to a family that suddenly became homeless after a disaster.

Even when our faith in others is shaken and we don’t know what to believe anymore, God is always faithful to us. He created everything, including us, in love. When we feel small and insignificant in a gigantic universe, He tells us how much we matter to Him. “When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—the moon and the stars you set in place—what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority—the flocks and the herds and all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents. O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!” (Psalm 8:3, 4, 6-9, NLT). He’s as real as it gets!