Chaos Under Control

He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords.

1 Timothy 6:15

In the 1960s, meteorologist Edward Lorenz proved that accurate long-range weather forecasting is impossible. This seemingly common-sense “discovery” was an outgrowth of what scientists call “chaos theory,” which states that systems behave unpredictably due to the conditions in which they started. In other words, the slightest influences in the beginning can result in completely unpredictable results as systems develop. These are called “chaotic systems.”

Many people, without understanding the science, subscribe to the “chaos theory.” They believe the world is totally out of control and is careening through the universe on a collision course with some accidental destiny.

It is not wrong to think of this world as a “system.” Indeed, the Greek word kosmos (translated “world”) means an ordered arrangement. But it is completely wrong to view this world in terms of modern chaos theory. While the earth was at one time chaotic—“without form, and void” (Genesis 1:2)—it is now being carried in the hands of “Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will” (Ephesians 1:11).

Every headline that surprises us should be a reminder that there is no news in heaven.