Chaos Theory

Posted On March 21, 2021

” . . . the currents of chaos overwhelmed me. . . .”

Psalm 18:4 NET

I am writing this week’s post amid the chaos that comes from moving into a new house. My husband and I decided to downsize from a four-bedroom house to a three-bedroom cottage by the lake. Sounds idyllic, and it is, except that now I am faced with the reality of what downsizing really means — cardboard boxes covering every available square inch of my house and an overabundance of furniture taking up too much space in our smaller home. But I’m up for the challenge! I really feel that God led us to make this change in our lives right now, and I trust that He will help us deal with whatever comes as a result, even the temporary mess we are living in! So while I’m trying to sort out the chaos in my house, I thought we could examine how God helps us deal with the chaos in our lives. If you’ll bear with me for a moment, let’s start with a little math . . .

Chaos theory is the branch of mathematics which deals with, well, chaos. Technically, it studies complex systems whose behavior is very sensitive to initial conditions. This means that slight changes in the initial conditions lead to vastly different outcomes. This phenomenon is sometimes called the butterfly effect — it’s equivalent to saying that the flapping of a butterfly’s wings in one part of the world could cause a tsunami on the other side of the globe. The more complex the system, the more unpredictable the results. Chaos theory attempts to find order in this chaos. It has applications in weather, traffic patterns, business trends, and even human behavior. What looks like complete chaos in the world actually follows rules which can be studied, even if we are not able to predict exact results.

“I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted.”

Job 42:2 NIV

Although my degrees are in mathematics, I have never studied chaos theory. What I know about it, which isn’t much, I looked up online. So I won’t attempt to get too technical. The point I want to consider is that what looks like random chaos to us does not look that way to God. He is the Creator of the universe and of all the rules it follows. Just because we lack the tools to determine with perfect precision the initial conditions which will lead to a certain outcome doesn’t mean that God does. He is not only a Master Artist, but He is also a Master Mathematician. He knows exactly what will happen when He sets His plans in motion.

The beauty and precision of His creation is all around us. We are created in His image, so we have enough knowledge to recognize and appreciate His work. But we are only apprentices. We will never be able to fully comprehend everything the way He does. So, honestly, I don’t have much of an interest in learning chaos theory. I don’t worry too much about trying to find order in the chaos because I know that God already does. What’s impossible for human scientists to predict is child’s play for Him. He can see every outcome in every situation, no matter how complex the variables involved. He is in charge of everything and He has a perfect plan.

“The One in control of the universe has His time and place for all of us. Knowing this should help us walk by faith as we seek His face about what to do and where to go next. He is sovereign, never taken by surprise. He is the God of providence . . . . I hope you have a big view of God and His sovereignty. He is the God of all greatness. Don’t underestimate Him.”

Randy Alcorn, Seeing the Unseen

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”

Revelation 4:8 ESV

Randy Alcorn and Max Lucado both encourage us to keep a big view of God. When we take time to really think about God’s infinite power and endless knowledge, we can relax in the awareness that He is in charge and we are not. When we remember that His thoughts and ways are far above ours, we can trust that He knows what He is doing. When we spend time in His presence, we can begin to find order in the chaos. Max Lucado reminds us that as we draw near to God in worship, we can’t help but expand our view of Him:

“Exactly what is worship? I like King David’s definition. ‘Oh magnify the Lord with me . . . .’ Worship is the act of magnifying God. Enlarging our vision of him. Stepping into the cockpit to see where he sits and observe how he works. Of course, his size doesn’t change, but our perception of him does. As we draw nearer, he seems larger. Isn’t that what we need? A big view of God? Don’t we have big problems, big worries, big questions? Of course we do. Hence we need a big view of God. Worship offers that. How can we sing ‘Holy, Holy, Holy’ and not have our vision expanded?”

Max Lucado, Grace for the Moment

When we’re feeling overwhelmed by the chaos that surrounds us, we need to adjust our view. Instead of focusing on our big problems, we should focus on our bigger God. The Creator of the universe has the power to deal with anything we are facing.

“Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name. Because of his great power and incomparable strength, not a single one is missing.”

Isaiah 40:26 NLT

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV

The Weekly Prayer Project reminds us that trusting God completely at all times is how we find our way. We must be in the habit of seeking Him always, even when things are good:

“These verses [Proverbs 3:5-6] show you how to get the direction you need from God. Trust God with everything. Acknowledge Him in all your ways. Don’t compartmentalize God and then come to Him in desperation when you have a situation you can’t fix yourself.”

The Weekly Prayer Project

This reading really spoke to me. Putting off coming to God until I was desperate was exactly how I operated for years. But living this way made everything so much harder than it needed to be. Waiting until we are facing a crisis to ask for His help is not how He wants us to live. When we learn to walk in step with Him every day, He will make sure we have all the tools we need to face whatever is coming. It’s a matter of faith. If we trust Him at all times, we will be amazed at how, and where, He leads us!

“Faith. Children have it. They believe what they’re told. . . . In Matthew 18:3, Jesus said that to enter the kingdom of heaven, we must become like little children. We must be people of faith. As followers of Christ, we know that it takes faith to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and it takes faith to trust Him, acknowledging that He is in control and we are not. . . . God loves to give to those who diligently seek Him. As we pray with faith, believing that He can answer, He will answer. And if we lack faith, we can just ask for more. We have a loving, mighty Father in heaven who loves to show us what He can do.”

The Weekly Prayer Project

I kept it short this week because I need to get back to creating some order in the chaos of my house! It’s a little overwhelming right now, but I know it will all fall into place. I have a vision of how beautiful it will be when I’m finished. I just need to give it some time and keep working at it.

The same is true for finding order in the chaos of our lives. When we learn to draw near to God and see how big He is, our problems become small. We just need to keep working at it — keep seeking Him every day in prayer and in His Word — and give it some time. His plan and His timing are perfect, even if things seem overwhelming right now. We don’t always understand how He is working in our lives, but can always trust that He is . . . and His work will be beautiful.

This week’s Scripture passages remind us to keep a big view of God. There is a printer-friendly pdf version below the image. As we walk with Him every day, may He give us eyes to see beyond the chaos to the beauty He has in store for us!

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”

Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV

References:

• Alcorn, Randy. Seeing the Unseen, Expanded Edition: A 90-Day Devotional to Set Your Mind on Eternity. Multnomah, 2017.
• Hiltibidal, Scarlet. The Weekly Prayer Project: A Challenge to Journal, Pray, Reflect, and Connect with God. Zondervan, 2017.
• Lucado, Max. Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. J. Countryman, 2000.

Images:

• Chaos Lines featured image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
• Cardboard Boxes image by Mediamodifier from Pixabay
• Fractal image by Ralf Kunze from Pixabay
• Butterfly Effect image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
• Nautilus image by Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay
• Night Sky image (and Wondertakings featured image) by Free-Photos from Pixabay
• Butterflies and Flowers image by Ronny Overhate from Pixabay
• Butterfly image by ipicgr from Pixabay