Out Of Order
When I first prayed this morning, the word that was on the heart was the Lord brings order out of chaos. Then every text was about chaos and order. Let us pray today Lord set my love and order. Jesus, set my life in order that I would glorify you and find the balance you want for me.
“After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, they sang: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.” Saul was very angry; this refrain displeased him greatly. Saul was afraid of David…In everything he did he had great success, because the Lord was with him. When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him. David said…I’m only a poor man and little known.”
1 Samuel 18:1-29
There is a beautiful moment at the beginning of the chapter that should not be missed. Jonathon becomes a brother to David. The son of the king who should be most concerned about David’s rise to power because of how it could impact him, humbles himself in a profound way. Rather than worrying about what he might lose, he gains a brother. Is that what you do? Do you celebrate the promotions or praises of others or are you upset that it did not happen for you? A humble heart paves the road for healthy relationships.
The text says Jonathan loved David as himself. Is not the great commandment for us to love others as ourselves? Do we? The text says they became one in heart and spirit. What would happen if we looked at every person we met as a brother or sister that we could become one with in spirit? How would the world change?
Look at what happens in Saul’s life. Why does Saul live with chaos in his heart and anger towards David? His whole focus is on what might happen and he allows fear to take over. The whole time David simply said who am I to even stand before the king. He is humble and never dishonors Saul even when Saul dishonors him. What lesson could we learn about how we respond like Jesus when others are not treating us well? How can we hold onto peace in our hearts even when others are creating chaos?
“Praise the Lord, my soul. Lord my God, you are very great; The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved. You covered it with the watery depths as with a garment; But at your rebuke the waters fled, at the sound of your thunder they took to flight; You set a boundary they cannot cross; He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate bringing forth food from the earth: He made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down. How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There the ships go to and fro, and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there. All creatures look to you to give them their food at the proper time. When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things…when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. When you send your Spirit, they are created, May the glory of the Lord endure forever; I will sing to the Lord all my life; May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the Lord.”
Psalms 104:1-34
Can you picture David standing out in an open field looking all around and praising God for all that He has made? David said that God made the heavens and the Earth. He made the land in the sea. He set the boundaries of the water. How often do you think about how perfectly God made our planet? How precise the details that allow us to live? How generous and great are the works of God’s hands? It is so easy to focus on our day-to-day activities. How often do you think about air in your lungs, the water and the food God provided, the natural laws that govern the earth and keep everything spinning at the perfect rotation so that day and night is ordered? Is not every day a miracle?
Life is meant to have balance to it. One of the most important things for us to do to maintain that balance is to realize how we fit within all God has made. David reminds us not to worship creation, but to worship the Creator. All that we see are meant to be signs that point us to God. It is from God that we have the very breath in our lungs that gives us life.
David makes a personal decision. You know he lived in a world of chaos, but he decided that he will worship God alone. He could not control the world like God could, but he could choose to sing a song pleasing to the God who gave him breath. Each day we can decide how we will approach the circumstances of our lives. Will we enter the day with gratitude or will we take things for granted?
How about you? Is your heart full of praise for the Almighty and joy for all that He has done and is doing? Or are you weighed down by the worries of the world? Is it possible that there might be ways of thinking in your mind that have gotten out of balance? One of the most common mistakes we can make is to allow our problems or the pressures of life to be bigger in our minds or hearts than our God. When we step back and see how great and wonderful God is, our fears and worries naturally shrink. The right balance comes when we change our perspective to see that God is greater than our ups and downs.
“How beautiful your sandaled feet, O prince’s daughter! Your graceful legs are like jewels, the work of an artist’s hands.” Song of Songs 7:1
Wisdom tells us that we were made by God. You are formed and fully known. While we might not ever be able to fully comprehend the work of God’s hands with all of creation, we can live in the truth that we were created by Him. Every hair on your head, every feature on your face, every aspect of all of you was made by the Almighty and He calls you beautiful. Sit in that truth for a moment. Dwell on how God delights in you.
If you are a parent, it’s not hard to picture the moment where you saw your child and were instantly in love. You could hardly believe the beauty of your baby. If you are not parent, consider a time when you were awestruck by someone you love. Grab hold of the reality, you are truly loved and made by God, then remember so is everyone else. There is a shift of thinking that we must make if we are to become the people of God who loves like Jesus does. Do you see others as loved and made by God? Is this how you talk to others? We need to start to see the people around us as He does. Lord Jesus give us eyes to see others like you do. Give us hearts to love like you love. Set our love in order.
“See now, the Lord, the Lord Almighty, is about to take from Jerusalem and Judah both supply and support: their words and deeds are against the Lord, defying his glorious presence. The look on their faces testifies against them; they parade their sin like Sodom; They have brought disaster upon themselves. Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds. Woe to the wicked! They will be paid back for what their hands have done. What do you mean by crushing my people…In that day the Lord will snatch away their finery: the bangles and headbands and crescent necklaces, the earrings and bracelets and veils” Isaiah 3:1-23
The Lord gives and the Lord can take away. The Lord judges righteously. It might not always feel like it when we see people prosper who have done evil. The bible says all people will be repaid for the work of their hands and ways of their hearts. Suffering does not mean that you have sinned, rather it can be harm that others have inflicted or from the brokenness of the world around you. The text says that people parade around in their sin. It sure seems like that some days when you turn on the news. Consider how when we see others sin, our judgment can shape how we see or love them.
The question is how do we hold onto hearts that are righteous and faithful to God in the midst of the chaos? How do we trust that He will judge so that we do not have to allow hardships to give us hard hearts? God reminds us that all that we have can be taken away and those who focus on the temporary over the eternal will eventually lose what they trusted in.
“One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits by many waters. With her the kings of the earth committed adultery, and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries…babylon the great the mother of prostitutes and of the abominations of the earth.”
Revelation 17:1-2, 5, 17-18
We live in a world of chaos brought on by adulteries or desires that are not from God. We have chaos in our hearts, chaos in our lives, chaos in our relationships, chaos all around us politically, socially, and economically. We have to consider where we are out of order. Where is my life out of order? Where is my love out of order? Where is my mind out of order? Lord align my will with your will. My heart with your heart.
There comes a time where God will call out the people who lusted after the things of the world. What if instead of the word adultery, we used any number of things that get in between our hearts loving God fully? How would it change the way you read this passage? What if you read that God judged those whose hearts sought money, pride, power, pleasure, and a thousand lesser temptations over Him?
The truth is God evaluates us in terms of our relationship to Him. He’s the Creator and we are the created. He knows if we have been faithful to Him. Where are you most susceptible to temptation? What distracts you most from the divine? What do you lust after or desire in your heart that is not God?
What causes chaos in our lives more than anything else? Do any areas of your life feel chaotic? When our hearts, like Saul, are corrupted with jealousy, envy, pride, comparison, and fear we create chaos. Jesus came to give us peace. He came to help make us whole again. He came to set us free from the bondage that comes from pursuing the desires of the flesh. He came to set our lives in order that we might know that we are spiritual people made to be spirit led. That is the only proper order that will give us peace.
The word today is order. God is a God of order, not disorder. Let us order our lives around Jesus that we might find balance and the beauty of this day. He is our cornerstone. He is to be the axis that our lives. The center. He is the vine and we are the branches. He provides and we praise as He produces fruit in and through us. That is the proper order. JOY. Jesus Others You.
Like David, we are called to make a decision. He said who am I to be a son of the king? He was humble and grateful and that allowed his life to have balance and beautiful relationships like he had with Jonathan. Do you want more balance and more beautiful relationships? Ask God to reveal anything in your life that is out of alignment with Him. Ask Him bring order and balance to your life. Listen to His voice and He will lead you to peace. Step back and see sing praises to the God who orders our days. Sing of His faithfulness and love. Then choose to see others and yourself as beautiful and beloved of Him.