Notes
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.
Then God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.
Genesis 1:1-3
Do you ever feel like life is out of control? There are so many times we feel like chaos is running everything. When there is chaos in our lives, our emotions feel chaotic, too, and we can lose focus on the truth.
But God's power over chaos was on full display at the moment of creation, throughout the life of Jesus, and right now for all of us. Hisfirst action was to bring order to chaos. If God brought peace into Creation, He can bring peace into our lives today.
The Spirit of God was hovering over the chaos of Creation. Just like He is there at the beginning of Creation, today when the Spirit of God is involved, something good is going to happen.
In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.
John 1:1-3
In the life of Jesus, we see Jesus entering the chaos of people's lives and bringing order and peace. He came to anyone the world had cast aside, or who had cast themselves aside as too far gone. Jesus sees past the exterior; He sees what's going on underneath the surface. He goes into darkness, emptiness, chaos and brings peace - He brought shalom , which means physical, mental, emotional, relational, and spiritual wholeness. That is what God offers through Jesus; the Spirit of God still hovers and His Word still goes forth into chaos.
As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, "Let's cross to the other side of the lake. " So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.
Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, "Teacher, don't you care that we're going to drown?"
When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Silence! Be still!" Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. Then he asked them, "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?"
The disciples were absolutely terrified. "Who is this man?" they asked each other. "Even the wind and waves obey him!"
Mark 4:35-41
We may have the peace of Christ in our lives, but there will still be times when we feel like life is filled with chaos. The disciples were trying everything in their power to not drown. There comes a time in every believer's journey when God needs to teach us that our hope and peace will not come by struggling through life on our own strength. And it is often those times when God often starts doing His greatest work in us. As disciples of Jesus, sometimes we're allowed to go through storms not only so we learn to be more like Jesus, but so that we can be people who bring peace to others' chaos.
Group Questions
- When have you experienced God bringing order to chaos in your life?
- Shalom means wholeness in every area of life—physical, mental, emotional, relational, and spiritual. What area of your life feels the most chaotic, and how can you invite Jesus to bring shalom into that space?
- How can we support each other in the small group to strengthen our faith during life's chaotic times?
Prayer
Thank you for being a God who brings order to chaos. We ask that youfill us with your peace. Teach us to trust you in every circumstance and to reflect your peace to those around us.