To everyone going into the woods...
TO EVERYONE GOING INTO THE WOODS
To every hunter stepping into the woods this week, whether it is before the world wakes up, or in the quiet of an afternoon, or in that sacred hour when the sun sinks behind the trees and the shadows begin to stretch… this is for you.
There is a reason your heart beats a little faster when your boots press into the leaves. There is a reason the cold air feels sharper, cleaner, almost holy. There is a reason anticipation rises inside you when you climb into that blind or settle onto that stand. The woods have always held a kind of wonder, a kind of hush that the world cannot imitate. Hunting is not just a sport. It is not just tradition. It is a blessing straight from the hands of God. It is provision. It is memory. It is joy. It is life lived with purpose. And yes, it is excitement. That moment when the brush moves and your breath catches because maybe, just maybe, today is the day.
But beneath the anticipation, beneath the beauty, beneath the tradition and the thrill, there is something even greater waiting for you. The gift of God meeting you there. Because He does. More than you know.
“The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it” Psalm 24 verse 1. That means every ridge, every cedar, every frost lined branch glowing with morning light belongs to Him. When you step into the woods, you are stepping into His sanctuary. Not one built by human hands, but one shaped by His voice.
Listen closely. Really listen. Listen to the call of a bird you have never slowed down enough to hear. Listen to the soft snap of a twig somewhere behind you. Listen to the wind as it threads its way through the branches like a quiet hymn. Listen as your own heartbeat settles into the rhythm of creation. It is in places like this that God whispers the loudest. “Be still and know that I am God” Psalm 46 verse 10. Stillness is hard to find in a world that never stops moving.
But not here. Not now.
While you sit in those stands or blinds, ask God to speak. Ask Him to show you what your life has been too loud to notice. Offer Him the weight you have been carrying. The worry. The fear. The exhaustion. The questions. Tell Him the things you have been holding in your chest for far too long. Scripture says, “Cast all your cares on Him because He cares for you” First Peter 5 verse 7. There is room for every burden you brought into the woods today.
Every part of the hunt that makes your heart come alive is there because of God. The excitement when the woods begin to move. The sudden stillness when a deer steps into view. The rush that fills your chest. The satisfaction of providing for your family. The tradition passed from one generation to the next. The memories etched into your life forever. All of it carries the fingerprints of the One who made you. “Every good and perfect gift is from above” James 1 verse 17. The hunt is not separate from God. It is wrapped in His goodness. It is shaped by His creativity. It is sustained by His generosity.
He is the One who gave the deer its beauty and strength. He is the One who designed the forest you sit in. He is the One who stirred something in you that finds joy and purpose in these moments. He does not stand outside the experience. He is woven into it. He is the reason it matters. He is the reason the woods feel like a sanctuary.
So as you hunt, let your eyes be open. Let your heart be alive. Let the thrill remind you of the God who made you capable of feeling it. Let the beauty of creation stir something deeper than adrenaline. Let the satisfaction of the harvest turn your gratitude toward the One who provides. Let every moment remind you that He is generous. He is faithful. He is near.
And while you wait in the quiet, let the woods become a place where you breathe Him in. A place where you hand Him every worry and every weight. A place where you listen for the whisper beneath the wind. A place where you recognize that the God who created the deer is the same God who created you, knows you, loves you, and meets you here.
Because when you walk out of the woods at the end of the day, whether your hands are full or empty, the greatest thing you carry with you is not the harvest. It is the presence of the God who walked with you. The God who spoke in the quiet. The God who reminded you that every good thing you experienced today came from Him.
And if you look for Him, you will find Him.
Every single time.
To every hunter stepping into the woods this week, whether it is before the world wakes up, or in the quiet of an afternoon, or in that sacred hour when the sun sinks behind the trees and the shadows begin to stretch… this is for you.
There is a reason your heart beats a little faster when your boots press into the leaves. There is a reason the cold air feels sharper, cleaner, almost holy. There is a reason anticipation rises inside you when you climb into that blind or settle onto that stand. The woods have always held a kind of wonder, a kind of hush that the world cannot imitate. Hunting is not just a sport. It is not just tradition. It is a blessing straight from the hands of God. It is provision. It is memory. It is joy. It is life lived with purpose. And yes, it is excitement. That moment when the brush moves and your breath catches because maybe, just maybe, today is the day.
But beneath the anticipation, beneath the beauty, beneath the tradition and the thrill, there is something even greater waiting for you. The gift of God meeting you there. Because He does. More than you know.
“The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it” Psalm 24 verse 1. That means every ridge, every cedar, every frost lined branch glowing with morning light belongs to Him. When you step into the woods, you are stepping into His sanctuary. Not one built by human hands, but one shaped by His voice.
Listen closely. Really listen. Listen to the call of a bird you have never slowed down enough to hear. Listen to the soft snap of a twig somewhere behind you. Listen to the wind as it threads its way through the branches like a quiet hymn. Listen as your own heartbeat settles into the rhythm of creation. It is in places like this that God whispers the loudest. “Be still and know that I am God” Psalm 46 verse 10. Stillness is hard to find in a world that never stops moving.
But not here. Not now.
While you sit in those stands or blinds, ask God to speak. Ask Him to show you what your life has been too loud to notice. Offer Him the weight you have been carrying. The worry. The fear. The exhaustion. The questions. Tell Him the things you have been holding in your chest for far too long. Scripture says, “Cast all your cares on Him because He cares for you” First Peter 5 verse 7. There is room for every burden you brought into the woods today.
Every part of the hunt that makes your heart come alive is there because of God. The excitement when the woods begin to move. The sudden stillness when a deer steps into view. The rush that fills your chest. The satisfaction of providing for your family. The tradition passed from one generation to the next. The memories etched into your life forever. All of it carries the fingerprints of the One who made you. “Every good and perfect gift is from above” James 1 verse 17. The hunt is not separate from God. It is wrapped in His goodness. It is shaped by His creativity. It is sustained by His generosity.
He is the One who gave the deer its beauty and strength. He is the One who designed the forest you sit in. He is the One who stirred something in you that finds joy and purpose in these moments. He does not stand outside the experience. He is woven into it. He is the reason it matters. He is the reason the woods feel like a sanctuary.
So as you hunt, let your eyes be open. Let your heart be alive. Let the thrill remind you of the God who made you capable of feeling it. Let the beauty of creation stir something deeper than adrenaline. Let the satisfaction of the harvest turn your gratitude toward the One who provides. Let every moment remind you that He is generous. He is faithful. He is near.
And while you wait in the quiet, let the woods become a place where you breathe Him in. A place where you hand Him every worry and every weight. A place where you listen for the whisper beneath the wind. A place where you recognize that the God who created the deer is the same God who created you, knows you, loves you, and meets you here.
Because when you walk out of the woods at the end of the day, whether your hands are full or empty, the greatest thing you carry with you is not the harvest. It is the presence of the God who walked with you. The God who spoke in the quiet. The God who reminded you that every good thing you experienced today came from Him.
And if you look for Him, you will find Him.
Every single time.
Recent
Archive
2025
February
March
April
May
July
August
November
Categories
no categories
No Comments