Pit Pastor #9: In the Midst of Chaos
By: Troy Wong
08/29/07

What a year it's been. My dad was diagnosed with cancer a month before my mother-in-law died of cancer. I carried her corpse down the stairs to mortician's gurney and I went with my dad to all his appointments and most of his chemo treatments. My oldest son started high school and my daughter became a woman. All four of the kids need braces, the house needs a new roof, and our oven broke. I fantasized more times than you can imagine about leaving my post as pastor. God blocked every attempt to hire an associate pastor.

Isaiah 6. 1-4 says In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

Isaiah received that vision when, humanly speaking chaos reigned. If you look at history, most transfers of power are accompanied with lots of death and lots of upheaval (it is absolutely amazing that every 4-8 years we have a peaceful transfer of power). The good and godly king Uzziah has died, will the next king be godly? Will he kill all the prophets? Will he turn and lead the nation into idolatry? Scary times for a god-fearing prophet. Yet it is in the midst of this chaos and uncertainty that Isaiah sees the God is on the throne. He who doesn't sleep is watching over all the affairs of creation.

God reigns over my life. Most of the time I don't know what he's doing and/or I don't know why he's doing it. All I know is he's smarter, wiser, more powerful and more loving than I can ever, ever comprehend . . . and I trust him. . . with my life.

Thanks for reading. Shalom.