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By William Van Zyl
Published on 28 June 2026
“At that moment, he told me… he found God. And it turns out that God… He’s a squirrel…” — John Fitzgerald, The Revenant
The wilderness had already made its judgment.
The silence was overwhelming. Snowflakes drifted like feathers from a broken heaven, settling gently upon the frozen earth. Towering pines stood like ancient cathedral pillars beneath a sky of silver light. Every breath became a cloud of crystal mist. Every step disappeared beneath blankets of untouched snow. The mountains shimmered in icy majesty while rivers, imprisoned beneath sheets of glass-like ice, whispered beneath the frozen silence.
And there, in the middle of that breathtaking beauty, lay a dying man.
Hugh Glass had been brutally mauled by a grizzly bear. His broken body barely clung to life. Every breath was agony. Every movement tore through flesh already shredded by claws. Unable to walk, abandoned by those entrusted to protect him, and left beside a freshly dug grave, he faced what seemed certain death.
One man believed he was beyond saving.
John Fitzgerald.
Driven by fear, greed, and self-preservation, Fitzgerald murdered Glass’s son, Hawk, and left Hugh buried beneath the snow, assuming that nature itself would complete the execution. Then, as he travelled toward safety, he recounted one of the most memorable conversations in the entire film.
IMAGE: Hugh Glass(actor Leonardo DiCaprio) crawling from the shallow grave prepared for him by Fitzgerald. Jim Bridger secretly left a hip flask for Hugh when they left him for dead in the shallow grave. Credit: Screenshot from YouTube.
His father (John Fitzgerald’s), he explained, once became lost, starving and close to death. Later, he claimed that he had “found God.” Fitzgerald’s punchline was chilling: God, he said, was simply a squirrel—the animal that kept his father alive because he shot it and ate it. His companion is Jim Bridger, a young trapper who reluctantly follows Fitzgerald.
IMAGE: John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy) tells the story about his father, who found God. Outstanding acting by Tom Hardy. To see the short video clip, search YouTube: “God is a squirrel” Scene – Tom Hardy (The Revenant).”
Credit: YouTube.
IMAGE: Jim Bridger, the young trapper who follows John Fitzgerald, sits around the campfire in the cold. He listens attentively to John telling the story of how his dad found God. But did Fitzgerald’s father really find God? Fitzgerald questions it. Fitzgerald is a hard-nosed pragmatist. Credit: YouTube.
IMAGE: Poster of the movie – ‘The Revenant.’ Featuring the actor Leonardo DiCaprio as Hugh Glass, who survived a grizzly bear attack (based on a true story). Credit image: IMDB.COM
It is a fascinating moment.
For Fitzgerald, survival defines reality.
God is not Creator.
God is not Redeemer.
God is not Holy.
God is merely whatever satisfies immediate physical need.
His philosophy is brutally pragmatic. If it cannot be grown, hunted, killed, or eaten, it has little value. Morality bends beneath survival. Compassion is weakness. Truth becomes whatever keeps a man alive another day.
Yet only a few miles away, another man crawls, whose story quietly dismantles Fitzgerald’s worldview.
Hugh Glass.
Every painful inch across frozen rivers, through deep snowdrifts, over jagged rocks and beneath towering forests becomes more than a desperate struggle to survive. It becomes a pilgrimage of endurance. Again and again, Glass rises after every impossible setback. Nature wounds him, yet also shelters him. He finds shelter beneath fallen trees, warmth inside the carcass of his horse, food where none seems possible, and unexpected kindness from strangers.
The wilderness that Fitzgerald sees as indifferent becomes, for Glass, a place where hope still whispers.
The contrast between these two men reaches far beyond survival.
One believes only in what can be consumed.
The other continues moving toward something greater than himself.
The Bible offers a remarkably different picture of God.
Rather than being hidden inside a squirrel or confined to human necessity, Scripture describes a God who actively seeks those who suffer.
“The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” — Psalm 34:18 (KJV)
How beautifully that verse fits Hugh Glass.
Broken.
Alone.
Abandoned.
Yet not forgotten.
The Bible also promises:
“And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” — Jeremiah 29:13 (KJV)
God is not discovered merely through desperate survival.
He is found through sincere seeking.
Jesus Himself declares:
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28 (KJV)
The invitation is profoundly different from Fitzgerald’s philosophy.
One says:
“Survive however you can.”
The other says:
“Come to Me.”
Perhaps that is why The Revenant continues to resonate so deeply.
Its magnificent cinematography dazzles the eyes with endless white landscapes, sapphire rivers, frost-covered forests, and golden sunlight spilling across untouched snowfields. Every frame captures both extraordinary beauty and relentless danger.
Life often feels exactly like that.
From the outside, everything may appear calm, peaceful, even beautiful.
Yet inside, many people are battling loneliness.
Anxiety.
Loss.
Fear.
Broken relationships.
Financial uncertainty.
Illness.
Questions with no easy answers.
Modern society has become incredibly advanced. Artificial intelligence can answer questions within seconds. Satellites map the Earth. Medicine performs astonishing miracles. Yet many hearts remain restless.
Technology informs us.
It cannot comfort us.
Social media connects us.
It cannot satisfy our deepest longing.
Money purchases convenience.
It cannot purchase peace.
The wisdom literature of Scripture reminds us:
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” — Proverbs 3:5–6 (KJV)
That promise remains just as relevant in our digital age as it was thousands of years ago.
We still need guidance.
We still need wisdom.
We still need forgiveness.
We still need hope.
Most of all, we still need God.
Not a “squirrel-God.”
Not a God created by convenience or necessity.
But the living God who walks with His people through every frozen valley and every mountain pass.
As Hugh Glass repeatedly demonstrates, survival requires determination.
But true living requires something even greater.
Faith.
Perhaps Fitzgerald’s father found a squirrel.
But millions throughout history have found Someone infinitely greater.
And unlike the squirrel…
He is still there when the snow begins to fall.
“Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.” — James 4:8 (KJV)
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A Prayer for Those Who Need God Right Now
Like Hugh Glass, many of us have known what it feels like to be left behind. Perhaps not in a frozen wilderness beneath towering snow-covered mountains, but in the silent valleys of grief, loneliness, disappointment, illness, anxiety, or uncertainty. We may even hear voices like Fitzgerald’s, telling us that God is distant, irrelevant, or nowhere to be found.
But the Bible tells a different story.
It reminds us that “The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart” (Psalm 34:18, KJV) and “Ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13, KJV).
If you feel abandoned, exhausted, or overwhelmed today, this prayer will encourage your heart. Pray believing that God will answer your prayers.
Heavenly Father,
I come before You just as I am. You know my struggles, my fears, my disappointments, and the burdens I have carried for far too long. When life feels cold and lonely, remind me that I am never abandoned, for You have promised to be near to the broken-hearted.
Lord, where there is confusion, give me Your wisdom. Where there is fear, fill me with Your peace. Where there is weakness, become my strength. Guide my steps when I cannot see the path ahead, and help me trust You even when the journey is difficult.
Forgive me for the times I have searched for hope in temporary things instead of seeking You. Draw me closer to Your presence, and let Your love renew my heart. I invite you into my heart and into my life. I make you the Saviour of my soul. Please fill me with your Holy Spirit. Also, fill me with courage for today, hope for tomorrow, and confidence that You are working all things together for good. I place my trust in You.
Thank You Lord; the Bible say that ‘through Jesus Christ I am never alone.’ Walk beside me through every valley, every storm, and every season of life until I stand once again in the warmth of Your light.
In the precious name of Jesus Christ, I pray.
Amen.
Video Link:
Squirrel-Sun-Sitting God.
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Published by Five House Publishing (New Zealand)
First Publishing, June 2026
