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Picture of chaotic or confused
background with the words, "God gives order to chaos" in
foreground.
The pictures posted just before this
one include a description of how the Jesus Movement was born in
the late 1960's and early 1970's, one of the most chaotic times
in our short history as a nation. Out of all the
resistance to authority, the protests and war, the rioting, the
drug culture and apparent breakdown of an entire generation, a
new wave of faith and life and settling down to solve problems
instead of merely complaining about them, a new stage of
relative peace came to our society. Jesus makes those
kinds of changes.
God brings order out of chaos.
The truth is, of course, that God is always at work behind the
scenes, even in what may appear to human senses as pure chaos.
In the beginning, Scripture says, the earth was formless and
void, as the Spirit of God hovered over the waters. And
then the waters are rearranged, and suddenly life begins to
spring from everywhere, as God speaks and sets everything right.
The chaos we experience in life is
merely the stage being set for another act of God, another
miracle of life and light and newness. To God Himself,
there is no chaos, no loss of control. But things often
appear differently to, when we are trying to hang on as our
house is rushed toward the sea in a great flood.
Paul talks about such times of
difficulty in his own life, a life plagued by many sufferings
for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ:
"...five times I received forty
stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I
was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I
have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters,
in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils
of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the
wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false
brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in
hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness —
besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep
concern for all the churches." (2 Corinthians
11:24-28, NKJV)
I can only image what it must have
been like to be shipwrecked and left out in the waters of the
Mediterranean Sea for a day and a night, waiting, trying to stay
alive, wondering if you will ever be found. Or what it
must be like to to be stoned and left for dead, or repeatedly
beaten. Much of Paul's ministry was marked by chaotic
confusion, as crowds would run together, shouting and demanding
his execution. Some of these crowds were his own people,
and some were Greeks and other Gentiles, pagans who rejected the
good news of Jesus Christ — and His messengers.
Our own lives may not be that
exciting, but they still are plagued by difficulties and chaotic
circumstances. Auto collisions, the death or crippling of
a loved one, our own loss of a job, a spouse, a child, a parent.
Life on this planet is not easy, seldom peaceful for very long,
and always under the threat of more trouble. Just ask any
wild rabbit, mouse, cat or song bird.
God offers us peace in the midst of
a storm. Jesus promised to give His followers His very own
peace, just as they also partake of His very own life. We
have the Spirit of God within, to calm and direct us. Only
with God's help could Paul have coped with so many terrible
events and circumstances, and kept on singing. God stood
with Paul through thick and thin, and the Lord will also stand
here now with you and me. God gives order and meaning to
the chaos.
The above graphic may be used by Christian believers in various kinds of
personal witness, for church programs, and other Christian
activities. There is no charge for this use, so long as
the copyright/credit info is included with the image or a link
back to this site is provided.
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