On dealing with the chaos

August 6, 2013 Bible Reflection Mark McIntyre 4 Comments

There are days when the dysfunction and brokenness of the world can be overwhelming. Gardens grow weeds, governments migrate toward tyranny and rejection of the moral law seems to be the order of the day. On top of all this I see my own tendency toward selfishness and rebellion. Everywhere I look I see chaos that results from the Fall.

In thinking about this today, a song lyric started running through my head:

When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free.
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.

These lyrics are from the song Behold the Lamb of God by Andrew Peterson which provide a needed reminder of the victory that has been won over the chaos around me and within me.

Yet, the Cross is on only the beginning of the victory. The third verse of the song provides the ultimate encouragement:

Behold Him there the risen Lamb,
My perfect spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM,
The King of glory and of grace,
One in Himself I cannot die.
My soul is purchased by His blood,
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ my Savior and my God!

As Paul tells us in Romans 1:4, the resurrection is the proof that Jesus has the power to conquer the chaos.

When despair seems to be the logical response to all the problems we can see, it is then that we must choose to look beyond the chaos to see the risen Christ as triumphant. He is large and in charge and at some point in time will set all right.

Jesus himself told us,

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”” (John 16:33, ESV)

Jesus wins. I’m good with that.

About Mark McIntyre

A follower of Jesus Christ who shares observations about how Scripture should impact the church and the world. Mark is the original author and editor of Attempts at Honesty.

When your church becomes cultish

If the leader or leadership of your church speaks ill of people after they leave, then that church is becoming cultish no matter how orthodox the teaching and worship might be.

What is behind the popularity of Harold Camping?

Harold Camping and May 21 As many people know, Harold Camping has predicted that the rapture will happen on May 21. I’m going to go out on a limb and predict that I will be writing a post the morning of May 22 thanking God for another day. My purpose here is not to catalog […]

5 Tests to assess disciple making in the Church

The church is called to make disciples. How can we assess how well we are doing in this endeavor? Here are 5 tests to aid in assessment. Read on and provide comment as to what else can be done to assess discipleship.

The Storm Before The Calm: Why Utopias Fail

The Bible predicts that things will get worse before they get better hence the title The Storm Before the Calm. We should not be surprised at the increasing political, social and moral chaos. Yet in the end, we know that every knee will bow to Jesus Christ as we are reminded by the Apostle Paul.

Commission and commands – Priorities for the Church

The Great Commission is the foundational text on which the mission of the church should be based. Or is it? Is there something else that needs to take priority? I think there is.

When the storm hits

The disciples were freaked out by the wind and the waves. They were on the lake at the bidding of their master but it didn’t seem to be working out so well. These men, some of whom were experienced fishermen, were convinced that they were going to die. You can find this story in Matthew […]