Choosing Christ in a Chaotic World
The Christian Worldview
The Cosmic Battle
In the beginning, God spoke into the void, bringing forth light and life from the formless depths. “The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2). This primordial scene sets the stage for the grand narrative of creation, fall, and redemption that unfolds throughout Scripture and human history.
Unlike the pagan myths that often begin with chaos, our story begins with the intentional act of a sovereign God. As G.K. Chesterton astutely observed, “It is not true that the universe is a process of mere change. It is not true that the universe is a process of mere chance. It is true that the universe is a process of continuous creation.” This creative act established order, purpose, and meaning in the cosmos.
Yet, we find ourselves in a world that often feels far removed from that original harmony. The fall of humanity in Genesis 3 introduced a cosmic fracture, allowing chaos to seep into God’s good creation. Sin, that great disrupter, set in motion a battle that rages to this day – a conflict between the order of God’s kingdom and the chaos of rebellion.
The Raging Sea and the Dragon
Throughout Scripture, we encounter powerful symbols of chaos that illuminate this cosmic struggle. The raging sea, with its untamed waves and unfathomable depths, often represents the forces of disorder that threaten to overwhelm God’s people. We see this in the Psalms, where the psalmist cries out, “Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me” (Psalm 69:1-2).
Yet, it is God who “stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves” (Psalm 65:7). In the Gospels, we witness Jesus himself commanding the wind and the waves, demonstrating his authority over the chaos of nature (Mark 4:35-41). This echoes God’s act of creation, where he set boundaries for the seas and brought order to the watery chaos.
Another potent symbol of chaos in Scripture is the dragon or sea monster, often referred to as Leviathan. This creature embodies the primordial forces of evil that oppose God’s order. In the book of Job, God speaks of Leviathan as a fearsome beast that only he can subdue (Job 41). In apocalyptic literature, particularly the book of Revelation, the dragon represents Satan himself, the ultimate agent of chaos and rebellion against God’s rule.
Christ’s Victory
The good news of the Gospel is that Christ has already defeated these forces of chaos. His victory on the cross and in the resurrection was the decisive blow against the powers of sin and death. As the Apostle Paul declares, “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him” (Colossians 2:15).
This victory is not merely a future hope but a present reality that we are called to live into. Theologians refer to this as “inaugurated eschatology” – the understanding that the Kingdom of God has already begun in Christ, even as we await its full consummation. N.T. Wright beautifully captures this tension: “The resurrection of Jesus is the beginning of God’s new project not to snatch people away from earth to heaven but to colonize earth with the life of heaven.”
In light of this, our daily struggles against chaos – whether in our personal lives or in the broader culture – take on new meaning. We’re not merely holding out for a distant future hope, but actively participating in the unfolding of God’s kingdom here and now. Every act of faith, every choice for order over chaos, is a foretaste of the final victory that is to come.
Spiritual Chaos and the Culture
As we survey our contemporary landscape, we see the spillover effects of this ongoing spiritual warfare. The chaos that began in the Garden of Eden has seeped into every crevice of our culture. We live in an age where, as T.S. Eliot prophetically wrote,
“The Church disowned, the tower overthrown, the bells upturned, what have we to do
But stand with empty hands and palms turned upwards
In an age which advances progressively backwards?”
The embrace of relativism and the rejection of objective truth have left our society adrift in a sea of confusion. As C.S. Lewis warned in The Abolition of Man, “We make men without chests and expect from them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst.” The chaos magic of our day, with its postmodern blend of occultism and subjectivity, is but a symptom of this deeper spiritual malady.
This modern fascination with chaos magic is particularly troubling. Rooted in the occult and intertwined with postmodern philosophy, it posits that belief shapes reality and that there’s no objective truth to be known. This ideology has seeped into various aspects of popular culture, from literature to film, subtly influencing how people view the world and their place in it.
In the absence of a fixed moral compass, our culture grasps at various ideologies and movements, seeking stability in shifting sands. We see this in the breakdown of traditional family structures, the erosion of civil discourse in public life, and the increasing polarization of our society. As the prophet Isaiah declared, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20). The result is a society increasingly marked by confusion, division, and moral disintegration.
Christ: The Antidote to Chaos
In the face of such pervasive disorder, where can we turn? The answer is as timeless as it is true: Jesus Christ, the embodiment of divine order and perfect love. “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16-17).
Christ offers not just a philosophical system or a set of moral guidelines, but himself – the living Word through whom all things were made. In him, we find the power to resist the pull of chaos and to live lives of purpose and order. As Saint Augustine beautifully expressed, “Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.”
This truth was brought home to me recently during a particularly chaotic period in my own life. Deadlines were looming, family responsibilities were mounting, and the constant barrage of distressing news was taking its toll. In the midst of this storm, I found myself drawn to the Psalms, particularly Psalm 46: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling” (Psalm 46:1-3).
As I meditated on these words, I was reminded that the same God who calms the literal storms also brings peace to the tumult of our hearts and minds. This is not to say that following Christ eliminates all disorder from our lives. Rather, it provides us with an anchor in the storm, a fixed point of reference in a world of flux. The peace that Christ offers transcends our circumstances, allowing us to navigate the turbulent waters of our age with grace and steadfastness.
Bringing Order to a Chaotic World
As disciples of Jesus, we’re called to be agents of his order in a chaotic world. This calling manifests in various ways:
First, we must cultivate inner order through spiritual disciplines. As we immerse ourselves in Scripture, prayer, and worship, we allow the Holy Spirit to bring clarity and purpose to our own hearts and minds. “For God is not a God of confusion but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33). This inner work is not merely for our own benefit but prepares us to engage the world with Christ’s love and truth.
Secondly, we’re to be salt and light in our communities, preserving what’s good and illuminating the path of righteousness. This involves engaging our culture with both grace and truth, offering the hope of Christ to a world desperately seeking stability. In practical terms, this might mean advocating for just laws, supporting organizations that uphold biblical values, or simply being a voice of reason and compassion in our workplaces and neighborhoods.
Lastly, we must remember that our ultimate hope lies not in our ability to control chaos, but in the promise of Christ’s return and the establishment of his eternal kingdom. As John Donne eloquently penned,
At the round earth’s imagined corners blow
Your trumpets, angels, and arise, arise
From death, you numberless infinities
Of souls, and to your scattered bodies go.
This eschatological hope does not negate our present responsibilities but rather infuses them with eternal significance. Every act of love, every stand for truth, every effort to bring order to chaos, is a foretaste of the coming kingdom.
Choosing Christ Amidst the Chaos
In a world that often feels like it’s spinning out of control, we’re presented with a stark choice: Christ or chaos. The allure of chaos may be strong, promising freedom from constraints and the ability to shape our own reality. Yet, as we’ve seen, this path leads only to further confusion and spiritual bondage.
Christ, on the other hand, offers true freedom – freedom from sin, freedom from fear, and freedom to live as we were created to live. In him, we find not the stifling order of tyranny, but the liberating order of love. As we yield ourselves to his lordship, we discover that his “yoke is easy” and his “burden is light” (Matthew 11:30).
Let us, therefore, choose Christ. Let us anchor our lives in his unchanging truth and allow his order to permeate our hearts, our homes, and our society. For in doing so, we not only find peace for ourselves but become instruments of his peace in a world crying out for hope. Blessed are the peacemakers indeed.
As Charles Wesley so beautifully expressed in his hymn Love Divine, All Loves Excelling:
Finish, then, Thy new creation;
Pure and spotless let us be.
Let us see Thy great salvation
Perfectly restored in Thee;
Changed from glory into glory,
Till in heaven we take our place,
Till we cast our crowns before Thee,
Lost in wonder, love, and praise.
Thank you once again for joining me in this devotional. May the God of all peace guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. If you’ve found this devotional helpful, I encourage you to share it with others who might benefit from its message. Consider subscribing to receive more content like this, and invite others to do the same. Together, let’s stand firm in Christ, our rock amidst the chaos.