When I worked as a receptionist, I took one of those in-depth personality tests for my job. It told me things about myself that, frankly, I could have told my manager before I took the test — I like order and structure, and not just a little bit. Yup, I’m one those people who can eat the same thing for breakfast everyday. But I also need to eat that same meal at the same time and in the same place to feel like I’m really conquering the day.
Come on, routine may not be the spice of life, but it is the meat and potatoes of life. You can’t enjoy those spices without something to put them on.
Okay, enough about my odd breakfast habits. This article is not really about those anyway; it’s actually about perspective.
Switching Order
In case you haven’t noticed yet, our perspective on life can make a big difference in how we live it. With my particular mindset, I can feel like order and structure are prerequisites to purpose and success; without them I can’t do anything. Without order and structure, the world is chaos and should not be approached until it settles down into a place of proper peace.
Besides that, God is orderly and He wouldn’t dare move into disorder, would He? He’s going to wait until the best and most peaceable moment to move. His plans are too big and important to be left blowing in the winds of chaos.
That’s why the first American missionaries to a foreign land went to a British-occupied country (India) in 1812. Because that makes sense.
And then, when the group was told to leave the British-occupied land, they had to split up and go in at least four different directions* never to see each other on earth again. Progress, purpose, and peace were really starting to take center stage.
Plus, world events were making a deep impact on the order and structure of worldwide missions of the day. I mean, what better time to start going to the regions beyond than when Napoleon is testing his mettle against Russia, Britain and North America are exchanging blows, and the Luddites are rocking the boat? Throw in a couple devastating earthquakes for good measure and you have yourself the ideal time for God to stir up a missionary movement.
There’s some facetiousness sprinkled in here.
Seriously though, it seems like times of chaos are the worst moments for God to move, but it’s more common than you think for Him to choose those moments to make His biggest moves:
- William Carey set off for India as the French Revolution gathered steam (1793)
- James Chalmers headed to the South Pacific during a notably destructive storm (1866)
- Hudson Taylor began his plans for missions work in China during the Taiping Rebellion (1850)
- Jesus was born in Bethlehem during Roman Occupation
I guess I have it all wrong if I think the ideal moment to do something great is when everything is calm. God doesn’t need order and structure in the world to conquer the day and complete His purpose. He has never once stopped moving in the world because it was too chaotic for His plans to be achieved.
It could be because God is the only real peace.
Today’s Challenges
That brings me to today. There is a lot going on in the world right now. I’m not even going to bother linking to something because you can just check your local news — it all applies. And if you don’t check the news, just look at your personal life. I bet there’s something that feels chaotic in that area.
Considering this new perspective, what might God be moving to do right now? Perhaps you and I are an integral part of His movement. Actually, we are.
All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
Why does God work this way? I really don’t know. But, what I do know is that those movements in history were pretty awesome and any movements made today will be as well. So, maybe instead of grumbling about the chaos and making excuses for myself, I need to get moving.
Proverbs 3:5 & 6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Psalm 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
Psalm 139:3 You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.
2 Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.
- *Samuel Nott & Gordon Hall went to Bombay; Luther Rice returned to America; Samuel & Harriet Newell went to Mauritius; and famously, the Judsons went to Burma.
