While getting ready for church this past Sunday, I stopped and lifted up a few prayers. I was feeling overloaded by things going on in and around me, and wanted to be able to really worship once I got in the doors.
After some deep breaths, I realized how tired I was – so I started with that item first. Next I poured my heart out about how chaotic I felt life had become lately. And in the midst of expressing some serious angst about that, I got what I affectionalely call a “God nudge.”
Do you ever get those? “Aha” kind of moments where pieces of truth you already know come together to form a whole new insight? They usually hit me right between the eyes (in the gentle way only God can do it), and this one was no different.
Here it was: God answered my cries about life feeling chaotic by reminding me of two qualities He has.
I am a God of creativity and I am a God of order.
That stopped me in my mental tracks and switched the direction of my thoughts. On the heels of that statement came a rush of examples from scripture where He demonstrated both qualities together.
- When He created the Earth, He brought order to it.
- When He created the nation of Israel, He laid down commands and laws.
- When He established His church, He established elders to lead.
Even the way we were each formed follows this pattern – God created our bodies, which are an intricate balance of organs and systems that have to work together.
I found this whole idea not only very interesting, but very comforting for a couple of reasons. If I am living in obedience to God, there may be a new way of looking at times where things feel totally out of control:
- Chaos may actually be a part of God creativing something new in my life.
- God will sooner or later instill His order into my life.
Though I didn’t get any specific answers or advice, I entered church that day with a sense of having gotten a peek into God’s mindset. And I truly did feel stronger for it.