Hello there, dear reader. Today, I’m writing with a heavy heart—one weighed down by a hefty dose of disappointment and uncertainty.
This week, we received some icky news—our church’s beloved senior pastor resigned, our staff has essentially been gutted, and the future of our church body doesn’t look so hot from this vantage point. It’s one of those unfortunate situations where you do the math, but all it adds up to is loss, confusion, and a plethora of unpleasant emotions all around.
And, when such powerful changes and emotions take place within the church body? Well, you can practically hear the enemy dancing for joy. This is just the type of chaos in which he thrives.
And chaos it is, indeed. My heart aches for our pastor, our church body, and the difficult days to come as we sort through the upheaval and look for solid ground once again.
The whole situation set me to thinking about those things in our lives that seemingly come out of the blue: disappointments, changes in plans, heartache, pain, betrayal, the list could go on and on. When turmoil comes crashing into our lives, we have the distinct disadvantage of having zero notice.
And sometimes, it’s enough to make me a little jaded, a little pity-party prone … that is, of course, until I turn my focus to the fact that our God sees it all. Nothing is a surprise to Him. Nothing takes Him by storm.
Those things that rock us to our core?
He knew they were coming. And He still has a plan, no matter how unplanned and chaotic the circumstances may appear to us.
In seasons where chaos reigns, it’s critical to remember the omniscient nature of God. At all times, He is all knowing:
“Omniscient” is defined as having complete or unlimited knowledge, awareness, or understanding; perceiving all things (source: dictionary.com).
When something or someone throws us off our axis and life feels out of control, we must rest in the truth that God is still very much in control.
In times of pandemonium, we must cling to the hope of His promises and His beautiful words of truth. Psalm 121 reminds us of our Father’s “I’ve got this” position:
I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
He Will not let your foot slip—He who watches over you will not slumber … the Lord watches over you … The Lord will keep you from all harm—He will watch over your life;
The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore (Psalm 121:1-2, 3, 5, & 7-8 NIV).
I love the overriding message of this passage—that no matter what’s going on, no matter how crazy or uncertain or unexpected, God is watching you. And He’s watching me. He is sovereign in the chaos and the calm.
Psalm 34:18 tells us that The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit (NIV).
Is your heart broken today? Are you feeling crushed under the weight of your circumstances? Take heart, dear reader—the Lord is closer to you than ever!
And the following verse says that A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all (Psalm 34:19 NIV).
In this season of uncertainty surrounding my church family, I’m counting on the Lord’s deliverance and provision for the future. I will rest in knowing that this change hasn’t taken Him by surprise and somehow, someway, He will weave the story together into a beautiful, redemptive narrative as only He can.
And the same is true for you and your chaos.
So let’s agree to band together against the schemes of the enemy. Let’s refuse to allow a root of bitterness to emerge in the fertile soil of disorder and disarray. Let’s take captive every angry, frustrated thought and scatter it to the four winds.
And let’s agree instead to hold fast to His Hand and allow ourselves to be carried until we can once again find our sea legs. I am confident it will be worth the wait!
