Order out of chaos

A few days ago, I spent the day facing the daunting task of bringing some order to my parents’ garage. The only space that you could stand in the garage was near the entrance – the remaining floor space was completely taken up by various items that had accumulated over the years. I knew that somewhere in that mountain were three bicycles – only time and hard work would reveal other long-lost things, currently hidden from sight.

There are times when my good intentions start to fade, and I experienced some of that as I began to work my way from the entrance towards the back of the garage, bringing items out one by one and laying them on the ground outside. My heart sank at one point, as torrential rain stopped my efforts, until the clouds finally cleared, and the sun returned. After nearly five hours I was rewarded with the sight of a clean garage, with rubbish cleared and items stored neatly and accessible. It was worth the hard work just to see my parents’ pleasure.

In doing the above, it struck me that much of what gives us pleasure as human beings is a parallel of the character of God as revealed in the Bible. That shouldn’t be a surprise really as we, as human beings, are created in His image. We find healing and enjoyment in being creative because God our Creator made us creative like Him. Also, just as the Lord brought order out of chaos in the beginning, we too find within us the desire to bring order out of the messes and chaos that we encounter.

The really beautiful thing is that, if by new birth we have come to know Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, then He is passionately committed to work in our lives by His Spirit to restore order and beauty where once there was only chaos and darkness. It may be that, when you look at your life, you still see more mess than beauty. But the promise of God’s word is that Jesus, who began a good work in you, will continue that work until it is completed (Philippians 1:6). He is also able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless and with great joy before His glorious presence (Jude 24).

If that ‘work in progress’ feels a bit overwhelming at the moment for you, it can help to remember and thank Him for how far He has brought you. Perhaps you can also ask Him which area He’s wanting to bring His Kingdom order to at the present time, rather than just seeing a mountain of issues still to be faced.

Prayer: Father, thank You for all that You have done in my life so far. As Jesus taught us to pray, my prayer is ‘Your Kingdom come, Your will be done in my life as it is in heaven’. Please help me to trust You to complete the good work You have begun in me. I love You. Lord. Amen.