Finding Peace in the Midst of Chaos

To say that this last week hasn’t gone as planned is an understatement. After a summer of finding various babysitters, working abnormal hours, and experiencing Texas’s heat wave, this week was supposed to be one that resembled some sense of normalcy. I thought that going back to work with (somewhat) regular hours and inching further into August would bring with it some routine. As usual, God had other plans.

On Sunday evening, we discovered that we had a water leak in our house. While the situation definitely could be much worse, we are displaced until we can get the plumbing work done. Wesley seems to enjoy the arrangement of staying with his Gigi and Papi, but this all adds another layer of chaos to my already out-of-routine life. I also broke my phone this week, which added to the stress of an already out of control week.

Chaos always seems to appear when we least expect it. It’s as if God responds to our need for routine and normalcy with a situation that requires us to need him more than our routines. Though this chaos has been heavy, and I’ve felt like crying a lot this week, I’m honestly doing pretty okay. I know that this situation is one that requires me to deepen my trust in God. It’s one that has shown me that chaos will always be present in this life, but we can still have peace and contentment in the midst of our chaos and mess.

We Can Still Have Peace

Have you ever found yourself in a situation like this one? We so often expect life to go a certain way, but then it gets messy. We long for certainty, but God continues to seemingly give us unknowns or multiple choices that we have to discern. And sometimes, life feels chaotic. Everything feels out of sorts. The chaos makes us become anxious, overthinking every part of our life. It also causes us to respond to our circumstances with annoyance, bitterness, and frustration.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. We can experience chaos and mess but still have peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7). It is possible to have peace in the midst of our difficult days. We can respond in ways that are productive like allowing our circumstances to draw us closer to God and growing in faith. We can be content even when the world around us is falling apart… even when our world is falling apart.

How do we find peace and contentment in the midst of chaos, biblically?

Remember where peace comes from.

Micah 5:5 tells us that “he will be our peace,” referring to Jesus’ coming. This is a great hope to the Israelites who will be humbled by foreign powers, were exiled to Babylon, and were literally trampled by their enemies and were only a remnant. Paul also writes in Ephesians 2:14 that “He himself is our peace” in the way that he created unity, breaking down the wall of separation between humanity and God. 

Jesus himself is peace. Therefore, we can only truly experience peace by following Jesus. Just as the Israelites believed that the Messiah would be their peace when attacks came their way, we too can trust that Jesus will be our peace when we experience chaos in our daily life. He is where our peace comes from. It’s through him alone where we can gain peace that is beyond human comprehension.

Build your foundation on the Rock.

At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus proclaims that those who hear his words and follow them will “be like a wise man (or woman) who builds their house on the rock” (Matthew 7:24). When the rain comes and the wind blows, their house will remain standing because it is built on the Rock. Likewise, when the rain and winds of our life come to knock us down, we can stand firm because we have a strong foundation. 

When we build our foundation on Jesus, we can experience peace in chaos because we know that God has it all handled. Our heart isn’t easily swayed or discouraged. Where is your foundation? Is it built on the things of this world or on your expectations, status, or accomplishments? We often feel discontent because we are placing our hope on things that are not worthy. Only Jesus is worthy. Make sure that he is where your foundation is.

Live out of your Kingdom citizenship.

In Philippians 3, Paul writes about putting his confidence in Christ rather than the things of this world. He also writes about all that he has gained as loss compared to all that he gained in Christ. Paul’s reminder to the Philippians that although they were under Roman rule, their citizenship was in heaven is a reminder for us today too. Though we live on this earth, we are citizens of heaven. 

When we abide by the ways of this world, we experience tension because we were never meant to live that way. We were meant to live as Kingdom citizens, following the ways of Jesus. And as we already know, when we follow Jesus, we are invited into an all-encompassing peace in any circumstance.

Bring your concerns before God with prayer and thanksgiving.

Even by following these directives, we are still human. We will still experience frustration over our circumstances and be discontent with our lives at times. When our life feels chaotic, our immediate reaction is usually one of bitterness, confusion, or anger. But if we desire to have more peace in our life, we can turn to the One who is peace. 

Philippians 4:6 tells us to be anxious for nothing, but give our requests to God with thanksgiving. “Do not be anxious” is not an option, it’s a command. As Christ followers, we are meant to lean into God for every need rather than sitting in overthinking or anxious thoughts. 

When we bring our requests before God, we are to do it with joy and thankfulness for all that God has given, even if our circumstances are something we wouldn’t have chosen. Sometimes our prayers have to look like “I don’t understand, but I’m grateful for what you’ve given me” and that’s okay. Bring your requests before God, and watch how you are immediately filled with peace.

He Has A Plan

Even in this place of chaos and unknown, I trust that God has a plan for all of this. Sometimes that plan is just that we’ll lean further into him. It’s hard to let go, friend, believe me. But all I can do in this situation is give it over to God and believe that he’s working it out. That gives me peace to know that he’s in charge. We can experience peace and contentment in our mess. I hope you’ll join me in that restful place.