He Can Subdue the Chaos

It is Christmas eve morning! Instead of waking up with feelings of joy and peace that this season should bring, I am waking to feelings of panic, doubt, and a bit of fear. It was a night full of dreams deriving from recent struggles and past pain. Honestly, my life is full of His blessings and promises, but that has not stopped the attacks of the enemy. Sometimes, it feels like the more I trust God, the more the attacks come to assess my resolve.

I laid there in bed thinking about any scripture that would calm my spirit and give me a sense of peace. All I could think of was 1 Peter 5:7(KJV) "Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." I kept saying it over and over. Then I had to figure out what exactly were my cares and concerns. As I began to pour out my list to God, I was reminded that I needed to get my post ready for the next publication. I had prepared it, but as always, it needed to be proofed and finalized. It kept weighing on my heart that I had not done it. So, I got up and prepared myself to correct spellings and grammar. I had not expected be encouraged by my own words.

As I began to read what I had already written, I realized that it was exactly what I needed to hear from God this morning. As it were, I had already had a similar morning weeks ago…

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It was a rough night. My dreams were fast and furious. They caused me to be full of doubt and pain. The pain from my past that the enemy still uses to bring on more pain. Yet, I refuse to continue to be a victim of that pain. I choose to surrender it all to God who can wipe away every tear that I have and will shed. He is the One that I run to when it all becomes so overwhelming.

So, I quickly rose out of bed as I usually do, but this morning I really urged God to speak to me through His word. I asked Him to tell me what I needed to hear. I had been studying Philippians, so the pages of my bible were already there. However, I was sure that He had more to tell me. My eyes were drawn to Philippians 3:20-21 that says, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.”

I pondered the word subdue which means to overcome, quieten, or bring under control (a feeling or person). I thought about the words of this verse. He will transform our lowly body so that it may be conformed to His glorious body …because He is able to subdue and transform all things. There is nothing that can escape His power and authority. Then I remembered Matthew 8:27 (NKJ) “So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

Imagine the winds and the waves for a moment. They seem to go wherever they want without regard to the confines of the space they occupy. They are chaotic by nature. The waves crash into one another. They crash onto the rocks or walls that try to contain them. Yet, nothing can stop them. The wind, even though we cannot see it, operates in an equivalent way. It blows and roars. Anything in its path can be tossed about. There seems to be no match for the wind either. Everything crumbles under their mighty force. However, there is One that can calm the winds and waves decisively and without effort. If He can do that to the uncontainable, why do we not believe that He can calm the chaotic situations in our lives? The chaos that we often invite in. He has the authority and power to subdue anything not just our bodies as in Philippians 3. He can bring order to our chaos if we will allow Him. We only need to invite him into those chaotic spaces.

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This was my own reminder this morning. The attacks will come. They may cause doubt and fear, but I do not have to let the doubt or fear consume my mind and thoughts so that they get into my heart and eventually cause me to doubt God. He has a proven history with me. For a moment, I gave my attention to that pain, doubt, and fear. Yet, His still small voice beckoned me to come to Him this morning and hear what He had to say. My time with Him always restores my peace. I have resolved that there is no reason for me to try to tackle the winds or waves on my own when I can do little about them because the enemy intends for them to destroy me. I will trust God in all things and allow Him room to speak to the chaos that comes to my life.

My encouragement to us all this morning... trust the ONE who can subdue all things.