Sermon Takeaway 09/14/2025

September 14th, 2025

Finding Peace in Chaos: Trusting God When Life Doesn't Make Sense

In a world that often feels like it's spinning out of control, how do we find stability and meaning? When tragedy strikes, dreams shatter, or circumstances leave us reeling, where can we turn? These are the questions that plague us in our darkest moments, and they're the same questions that have challenged people of faith for millennia.

Consider the story of Abram (later known as Abraham) in the book of Genesis. Here was a man who had received incredible promises from God - promises of land, descendants, and blessing. Yet at 85 years old, Abram found himself childless, landless, and questioning everything he thought he knew about God's plan.

"Lord God, what will you give me seeing I go childless?" Abram cried out. His world didn't make sense. The promises seemed impossible. Sound familiar?

We all face moments when life doesn't align with our expectations or understanding. A young activist is gunned down in his prime. An immigrant seeking a better life is senselessly murdered. A child receives a devastating diagnosis. A spouse walks away from a marriage. In these moments, we're left asking: What do we do when our world falls apart?

The answer, surprisingly, isn't to try harder or to somehow make sense of the senseless. Instead, we're invited to shift our focus entirely.

Remember: God is Near
- In Abram's moment of despair, we read these powerful words: "The word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision." When we're at our lowest, it's crucial to remember that God is not distant. He is a God who speaks, who draws near, who cares deeply about our pain.
- This nearness is experienced primarily through His Word (the Bible) and through prayer. Even when we don't have the words, even when our prayers are nothing more than wordless groans, God is listening. He invites us to pour out our hearts, to voice our confusion and hurt. Unlike fickle human listeners, God is always attentive, always caring.
Seek God Himself, Not Just His Gifts
- Here's a profound truth that can revolutionize our perspective: God wants to be our everything. Listen to His words to Abram: "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward."
- Often, we fixate on the things we want from God - healing, provision, answers, blessings. But God gently redirects our gaze. He says, "I am what you truly need." When we make God Himself our ultimate desire, everything else falls into proper perspective.
- This doesn't mean our pain magically disappears or that legitimate desires become unimportant. But it does mean that we find an unshakeable foundation, a source of joy and peace that transcends circumstances.
Trust in God's Sovereign Knowledge
- One of the most comforting truths we can cling to is that God knows all. Nothing catches Him by surprise. No tragedy, no injustice, no loss is outside of His sovereign awareness and ultimate control.
- To Abram, God gave a startling prophecy. He spoke of 400 years of affliction for Abram's descendants, followed by deliverance and blessing. God's timeline was far beyond what Abram could have imagined. Yet in this, we see a crucial lesson: God's perspective is eternal. What looks like chaos to us is part of a grand design that we can't fully comprehend.
- This doesn't mean we'll always understand or that the pain isn't real. But it does mean we can trust that there is purpose, even when we can't see it.
Embrace the Power of Simple Faith
- The turning point in Abram's story comes with these simple words: "And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness."
- In that moment, faced with impossible promises and an uncertain future, Abram chose to believe. He didn't have all the answers. He couldn't see how God would fulfill His word. But Abram decided to trust.
- This is the essence of faith - not blind optimism, but a choice to trust God even when life doesn't make sense. It's saying, "I don't understand, but I choose to believe that You are good, that You are in control, and that You will keep Your promises."
- The beautiful thing is that God honors this faith. He declares Abram righteous, not because of any great deeds, but simply because Abram believed. This same offer of righteousness through faith is extended to us today through Jesus Christ.

Living with Unshakeable Hope

So how do we navigate a chaotic world? How do we find peace when life doesn't make sense?

Draw near to God through His Word and prayer. Pour out your heart to Him.
Shift your focus from seeking God's gifts to seeking God Himself. Make Him your ultimate desire and source of fulfillment.
Rest in the knowledge that God is sovereign. Nothing surprises Him, and He is working out His purposes even in the midst of pain.
Choose to believe. Even when you don't understand, decide to trust in God's goodness and faithfulness.

Life will always have moments that leave us reeling. But like Abram, we can choose to lift our eyes from our circumstances and fix them on the God who is bigger than our pain, confusion, and limitations.

Remember the imagery God gave Abram - countless stars filling the night sky. In those moments when life feels darkest, step outside. Look up at the vastness of the heavens. Let it remind you of the God who spoke those stars into existence, who knows them each by name, and who promises to be with you always.

Your circumstances may be chaotic, but your soul can find an anchor in the unchanging God who loves you beyond measure. Choose to trust Him today.