It was one of those wild Sundays. Worship went well and no one knew what all went on behind the scenes. That’s because God is good and honors our best efforts. But I’m getting ahead of myself. I need to set the stage.
As usual, the worship orders were set, the music rehearsed, and the media presentations prepared. But as the Worship Team began to rehearse prior to the service, something went wrong with the technical equipment and we concluded there would be no multimedia for the opening song set.
We had a choice to make: panic or calm. Not to be unglued, our Worship Leader quickly pulled out familiar songs for the opening set, and in the process moved one of the originally planned opening songs to just after the sermon – in hopes things would be up and running by then. Our pre-service prayer was filled with pleas for the Holy Spirit to work powerfully in the midst of the chaos. We knew Jesus would be our glue.
Many things happened during that service, two of which are important to know here. First, the worship went off smoothly, no one missed a beat or note, and people sang from the depths of their hearts. The glue held it together. “In the midst of the chaos, grab the glue.”
Second, by sermon time the technical equipment was working again, so following the sermon we could invite people to sing the number that was moved, Potters Song. A visitor to the service was deeply moved by the song and following the service asked for prayer. Her life was in chaos and she sincerely wanted Jesus to take control. So we prayed. “In the midst of the chaos, grab the glue.”
I was once again in awe of Jesus. Think about it. If there had not been a tech glitch, Potters Song would not have been placed at the very end and been such a powerful plea for submission. If our Worship Leader had not been so sensitive to the Spirit, we would have canceled singing Potters Song. If our media tech had not been able to get the system up and running, we would not have sung the song. If, if, if…but Jesus! Jesus holds it all together. “In the midst of the chaos, grab the glue.”
As He so often does, Jesus took our chaos and held it all together, and took our visitor’s chaos and held it all together. In fact, I believe God created our chaos to lift up her chaos so she could experience Jesus’ healing touch in the midst of her chaos. As the apostle Paul emphatically wrote, “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:17) And the Heidelberg Catechism powerfully confesses, “Providence is the almighty and ever present power of God by which he upholds, as with his hand, heaven and earth and all creatures, and so rules them that leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and lean years, food and drink, health and sickness, prosperity and poverty – all things, in fact, come to us not by chance but from his fatherly hand.” It all happened by His fatherly hand! God created the chaos of the morning so Jesus could heal the chaos of one woman’s life – and in the process heal ours as well.
I’m still in awe of Jesus, in whom all things hold together. Your life either is, or will sometime again be in chaos. Don’t come unglued. Rather, “In the midst of the chaos, grab the glue.” You’ll be in awe of Jesus.