Trying to Find Some Order

Chaos.

That’s describes my dining room at this moment.

You’ve experienced what I’m feeling. Maybe you are building a house or working on a remodel project. Maybe you are moving or reorganizing your basement or garage. All of those require a certain amount of chaos and disorder before you finally arrive at the order that you are seeking. When the project is finished and you stand back and look at the completed work you sigh in satisfaction and feel a sense of peace that it’s done and everything is now in order.

My dining room isn’t there yet. It’s actually an ongoing project, getting this room into some kind of order. Our dining room isn’t the kind you would see in a beautiful homes magazine. It’s really an all-purpose room. It’s a craft room, a school room and also houses our extra refrigerator. And, yes, sometimes we also manage to eat in there. We recently removed a built-in cupboard that I would call a monstrosity. It wasn’t built well and needed to go. In its place are two sets of commercial wire shelving. Not much to look at but oh so practical. With a family of boys, I have learned long ago that usefulness is way more important than how things look.

Yesterday my table was so covered with the items that had been removed from the now dismantled cabinet that we couldn’t eat there. It was chaos.  But I knew it would eventually come into order so I kept working.

While I was laboring over where things should go, God drew a picture for me.

His creation was designed with perfect order. Then sin entered the perfect world and created utter chaos. We have been living in this world turned upside down by sin ever since. God is waiting for the day when His work will be complete and we will finally return to the order He had in place in the beginning. But it is a process, just like organizing my dining room.

Sometimes we look at our lives or the events of the world around us and wonder if things will ever come into order. We tend to fret and worry and question God’s actions and timing.

But God is waiting too. He understands what we feel when things seem out of control. But He has a plan. God does some things that we should learn to do as well.

God doesn’t lose His peace. He remains in perfect peace because He knows the outcome. It WILL all work out eventually.

God is patient. He knows He must wait and He does so without getting irritable or angry. He doesn’t get discouraged when things take time. He knows the end of the story.

God is faithful to do what He has promised.  He continues to guide us and direct us in the direction of His plan. And he expects us to cooperate and do our part. We need to listen to Him to see just what He would have us do.

The final peace and order will only come when Jesus returns to restore all of creation to God’s original design. Until then there will be chaos, and you know sometimes the mess gets bigger before you see any progress!

Whatever chaos is in your life, ask God to give you peace in the midst of it. Ask Him to help you wait with grace and patience and ask Him what He wants you to do while you wait.

John 14:1  Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.

Revelation 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more