A news analyst asked a panel of religious leaders: “How do you decide whose side God is on when each religion assumes God is on its side?”

Personally, I think the analyst asked the wrong question. The question is not: “Whose side is God on?” The question is: “Who is on God’s side?”

I doubt God is some kind of Santa Claus dealing in wish fulfillment. We don’t demand God’s blessing for “our side.” He sets the rules by which he decides. We accept them or not, but the rules stand.

I think those choosing qualities like compassion, mercy, and forgiveness are the ones on God’s side. Their choices may mean sacrifice, even seeming defeat at times. I believe, however, that they will ultimately be on God’s side, the side that wins.