I am neither the sharpest knife in the drawer nor the brightest bulb in the box, but neither am I dull or dim. Neither are you.

Yet, I can’t make sense of my world.

Each expert is convincing. Statistics don’t lie but you can lie with statistics. Every story is compelling, incendiary even. Volumes of indignancy, each decibel indignant. All our words are suspect, every idea indicting, each statistic spun like a spider’s web. Confusion abounds.

It would not be accurate to say I did an exhaustive biblical study of confusion, but I read each verse—nineteen of them—and its context before approaching my keyboard.

In eighteen verses, confusion resulted from either spiritual disobedience—being on the wrong side from God—or mankind’s best thinking independent of God’s guidance.

The remaining verse, 1 Corinthians 14:33, is unique. It declares that God is not the author of confusion.

Consequently, confusion comes either from disobedience and/or independent thinking, or from the genius of Satan. To a reasonable person, this is—or it should be—sobering.

When I sit to sort through the confusion, I run aground quickly. From what I’m hearing, reading, and observing, so does everyone else from the President on down.

The media’s contribution? Raging, wrangling, creating more smoke, more noise. It is to their detriment to resolve confusion. So they don’t.

What to do?

Not to be simplistic, but there are two options:

One, continue denouncing each other, destroying our cities, demeaning, defunding, dismantling, discrediting governmental structures, disregarding rule of law and due process, demoralizing, defeating, discouraging, d*#&%…. Within this option, not even the fires we set in our discontent will be satisfied.

Two, sound the clarion call that we have exhausted option one and have no reasonable recourse but to trust in God. If God were proud, He would not have us at this point.

Is this not the recurring story of mankind?

But, God is not proud. He stoops to conquer.

At first blush this is simplistic. But, let me offer some tested and tried, true steps, that make this simple recommendation reasonable:

First: Stop. Stop going in the direction you are headed. Continuing in the wrong direction only renders you more confused and farther from your desired destination. Stop. You don’t need clarity to stop.

When confusion arises—when you realize you are lost—it is customary to wander, searching, hoping aimlessly. The rule is, if you are lost, stop wandering. Stop. Your wandering confusion makes matters worse.  

Next, admit your confusion—and confess the confusion of your leadership. Politics, agendas, media, money, votes—your stakeholders are grasping for [more] power while the world spins in confusion.

Why is it important to confess your confusion? Because acknowledging it makes it tangible and real—and this sets the stage for your delivery and clarity being tangible and real as well.

Next, call out to the One higher than yourself. Tell God humbly and honestly, “I’m confused and my customary support structures are equally confused.”

In so doing, you turn in His direction.

That is, you turn to the opposite direction you are currently facing. Turn while declaring, “Dear God, I renounce my own ingenuity, and best thinking, and I resign as the captain of my own fate. Will you please guide me?”

Finally, you trust that God will answer your confession and request. Somehow, some way, likely in a process beyond your pay grade to either understand or execute without His leadership, He will respond.

God must. He promises that He will respond. This does not mean, a) you will fully comprehend, or b) realize immediate relief, but neither of these is necessary to gain clarity midst confusion. Really?  

So the result will be what?

Confusion will continue. The noise of the world’s cacophony will swirl and sound a discordant note. You will remain in the storm of confusion.

But? Surely there is something more…

You will be clear-headed because you are looking in a new and reliable direction—you are focused on an immovable Marker instead of being tossed by the winds of confusion. By silencing the outside noise, you create quiet inside your soul. In this quiet place, you will—because you are listening and trusting—hear God’s voice, reassuring, focusing, comforting, guiding, and leading.

The world may spin in its vortex of confusion, and God’s hand may not be visible, but you will be focused because you trust God’s heart to do good by you.

And if as your soul settles, you tell another of your success in quelling the confusion…. And they tell another… who tells another, and includes their children in the discussion, who tells another family?

Confusion will abate. The historical message will once again be clear: In my place of confusion, God rescued me and returned me to equilibrium.

Let’s be clear: Confusion will not quieten because your candidate wins in November, offensive statues are removed, history is righted, leaders start leading, you are respected more, or the English language is reinvented.

Confusion will conclude when you alter your focus. And you yours, and you yours, and so forth.

Seize this moment. Stop. Declare. Turn. Confess. Trust. Focus.