I made five lists last week.

You see, I live neat, but work messy. What that means is that most of my house is pretty tidy, but my study . . . my desk, the folding table next to it, the top of the printer, and, yes, sometimes even the floor are pretty chaotic. I’ve always been like that. Every desk I have ever occupied has had random piles, scattered papers, and loads of loose files strewn about. But I knew where everything was––or at least where everything was supposed to be.



But there comes a point where the notes and scraps of paper and rough drafts start to build up. Even the “tidy” house begins to gather dust and accumulate discarded magazines and unread mail.

My life follows the way of all life, the way of the world, the way of the universe . . . at least so says the second law of thermodynamics: “There is a natural tendency of any isolated system to degenerate into a more disordered state.” Or, to put it even more simply, everything moves from order to disorder.

Hence the five lists: reading schedule (two book clubs, you know), writing schedule, household chores that need to be done, household projects I need to do, house projects I need someone else to do.

Once I made the lists, I felt a sense of order return. Now all I had to do was follow the lists.

I have noticed that, if left unattended, my spiritual life follows this same fate. Though I don’t want to be Pharasitic, (Is that a word?) and just go through the motions, I know that if I don’t impose––and follow––some sort of order, disorder will creep in, and if allowed to continue, a sense of unrest will soon follow. I am not alone. In fact, the Bible (primarily the Old Testament) is filled with accounts of those who experienced the spiritual order to disorder shift and needed to repent and regroup. It also shared the accounts of those who maintained a spiritual routine in their lives (such as Daniel) and so were able to withstand multiple spiritual attacks.  

Fortunately, we don’t need as many “lists” to reclaim spiritual order as we sometimes do to create earthly order. Psalm 119:2 says, “Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.”

Which means? Talk to God (through prayer) and let Him talk to us (through the Bible), and then do what He says. Doing those three things regularly will help keep our spiritual lives in order.

First and Second Chronicles are not the most exciting books of the Bible to read, as the list of names can lull you into a stupor. However, Paul reminds us in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” And that’s just what happened when I read 1 Chronicles 27.

The chapter is all about the organization of public service, tribal leaders, administrators of King David’s property, as well as his personal counselors. What struck me most was the order it provided to the workings of the kingdom, and reminded me again that God is a God of order, of peace, not chaos or confusion, (1 Corinthians 14:33).

Therefore, when chaos reigns in our world, it is because God has not been given the helm. He has been pushed aside. And we are witnessing a lot of chaos right now.

Recently my pastor made the following statement in his Sunday sermon: “You can’t solve a sin problem with political solutions.” He was quick to add, however, that we need politics. Politics has a place, and 1 Chronicles chapter 27 is a case in point.

David was a king. His appointments were political. But he also was a godly king. God was the ultimate authority. When he strayed from following God’s statutes, as he did with Bathsheba, chaos ensued: a coverup followed, a husband was murdered, and a family and country paid the price. When he decided not to adhere to God’s directive, as he did when he called for a census without God’s consent, 70,000 men died.

But David repented, and God was again placed on the throne, and order returned. As Colossians 1:17 says, “He [God] is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

So when we push him aside, and refuse to repent, then He releases that hold, as we see in Romans 1:24, “God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts.” God will withdraw “His restraining and protective hand, allowing the consequences of sin to take their inevitable” (Grace to You).

Chaos creates confusion, anxiety, distrust, suspicion, and every other negative outcome. Order creates peace, security, trust, and every positive outcome. Let’s always remember, that God is the author and sustainer of order.