He Brings Order from Chaos

Some people think the influence of the Holy Spirit in their lives will mess everything up. They picture Him as unpredictable, confusing, or out of control. To them, He is associated with wild church services, revival meetings, or a crazy television preacher.

In reality, the Holy Spirit does exactly the opposite. He organizes and uncomplicates our lives. He brings order out of any level of chaos. We know this because the first time He was mentioned in Scripture, He was hovering above a formless creation, preparing to bring order to it (Gen. 1:2). The law of first mention, a way to interpret things in the Bible, tells us this is the key to His nature. He takes messes and makes miracles. He turns problems into purpose.

If things seem tangled up, He’s the one who can bring order out of your situation. In fact, the Holy Spirit does His best work when things are all jumbled up.

These things we also proclaim, not in the words which man’s wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. —1 Corinthians 2:13

But some people are so comfortable with chaos that they don’t want it straightened out. The apostle John wrote that “men loved darkness” and rejected the Light of the world. I see that tendency in myself. Sometimes I ignore the Holy Spirit when He draws attention to a chaotic area of my life because I don’t want to change it. It can feel like He’s getting into my personal space and pointing out stuff I don’t want to see. Yes, we all have areas that need re-ordered, but it can feel like an invasion when the Holy Spirit accepts our invitation and gets involved. But in the end, His heavenly ordering always brings relief. It’s our job to invite His influence into those circumstances because our lives remain disordered without Him.

Our daily prayer should be, “Holy Spirit, please bring greater order to my life. Take over any areas of chaos. I surrender them to You, and I know You will make things work well for me.”

But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. —1 Corinthians 2:14