I have gone just over a week without watching sports. The baseball season was supposed to start this week. March Madness would have just finished the round of 64, and we’d be looking at who makes the Sweet Sixteen this weekend. The NBA and NHL seasons are on the home stretch as teams vie for the final playoff spots. It’s really my favorite sports time of the year.

But I’m not sure I’ve gone more than a week without sports in my entire life. My wife assures me the shaking from the withdrawals will stop soon, I hope she’s right.

Our entire sense of normal is gone. No more sports. No more movie theaters. No more restaurants. No more school. No more work (for some of us). Everything is different. And yet…the world is remarkably still spinning on its axis like nothing has changed.

The temperatures are warming up as we enter the Spring season. Birds are chirping, grass is turning green again, and pretty soon you’ll hear the distant roar of a lawn mower rumbling along, leaving behind the aroma of fresh cut grass. The sun still rises every morning, and it still sets in the evening.

As wild and uncertain as these days have become, God reminds us through nature that He is still in control and that He is still worthy of being worshiped as the King. This reminds me of when Jesus was making His triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem, and in the middle of being praised and worshiped as the living God, the Pharisees in the crowd asked Jesus to rebuke those who were worshiping Him in the streets.

Jesus responds by saying, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” (Luke 19:40 ESV)

Some of us are struggling with anxiety. When I’m dealing with that, the only thing I have on my mind is failure and insecurity. I’m not seeing God. I’m not thinking of how He’s still in control. I’m terrified of whatever I’m going through in the moment.

But even when I stop worshiping our King, even for a moment, nature persists and worships Him in our stead. Why? Because He’s King. All creation bows at the sound of His name. This is our God. He’s big, He’s strong, and He’s in control.

And if we forget that, all we have to do is look outside. The world itself has not forgotten who’s in charge. And neither should we.

-Matt