"At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne... and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal." (Revelation 4:2,6)
When I hear the word "sea", the image that springs to mind is of a quiet beach with waves gently crashing against the warm sand, beautiful blue water spread out as far as the eye can see. A lovely, inviting picture, eh? And so when I think of God's throne sitting over a sea of glass, I don't blink an eye.
But to people of ancient times, and still to mariners and coast-dwellers today, the sea is a volatile, dangerous place, the kind of place you might go and never return home. In the Bible, the sea is a picture of chaos and evil, as in Isaiah 57:20. And so for John to see a sea that was still and calm enough to look like glass would have been unusual for him. But in this heavenly scene, the sea of chaos and turmoil is subject to God's throne, and therefore, it lies calm at His feet.
The dictionary defines chaos with terms like "confused unorganized state", "inherent unpredictability", "complete disorder". If you've lived for any length of time on this earth, you've experienced it--one thing after another totally out of your control. If you have small kids, it may feel like the definition of your life! But even when life is out of your control, is it really out of control? Even when you can't foresee the calamity about to be compounded, is it really unpredicted? Is chaos a reality? From our perception, yes. But John's vision of the unseen, very present reality answers a resounding "no"! Chaos is only ever real from our human perspective. From the perception of heaven, all circumstances, calamities, turmoil and chaos are firmly under the ruling throne of God Almighty, and are predicted, orderly, fully under control, calm as a sparkling crystal sea. If we can only see our chaos from heaven's perspective, how much less anxiety, fear and emotional turmoil we will experience in the midst of it!
On Sunday morning, after an enjoyable, peaceful Saturday, I was meditating on this truth. Then I headed into what was supposed to be a fairly relaxed day. Little did I know that the hour of time before church would turn into chaos--an unexpected responsibility, a change of plans, discouraging news, a slightly late departure followed by an overheating radiator in the van that had me tensely watching the thermostat all the way to church, praying that we'd make it there, especially since I had no method of contacting Nathan should we break down. (Did you read my Moth and Rust post? Yes, this is still the same week!) We did make it, but we were late, and as I was dealing with a fussy kid, I was unable to carry out my responsibility to pray in the service. I was literally shaking when we finally got settled in our pew.
And then we sang "Behold Our God". As we got to the chorus line, "Behold our God seated on the throne", it hit me. He's on His throne, and all that "chaos" of the last hour? It's under His feet, completely controlled. He's got it all in His hands. He knew all those circumstances would come together like that. He even knew we'd sing that song so I could have my perception changed to see the real reality and worship. There's really no such thing as true chaos. Sure, it feels like chaos when we've lost sight of the heavenly reality and realize we're not in control of our situation. But it's a calm sea under His feet, and the day is coming when the sea will be no more (Rev. 21:1)!
I've twice been stuck on a country road with a broken-down van full of kids and no cell phone. It's no fun. And the kids like to point out the one spot everytime we go down that road, so I get constant reminders :) The idea of it happening again feels like chaos to me. But we've got daily swimming lessons this week, which means I can't take the van to the shop just yet. So we open the windows, turn on the heat (thank you, Lord, for cooler temps this week!), keep an occasional eye on the thermostat, blast a CD and sing at full volume about God on His throne all the way to the pool and back. The chaos is controlled!
"Some went down to the sea in ships,
doing business on the great waters;
they saw the deeds of the Lord,
his wondrous works in the deep.
For he commanded and raised the stormy wind,
which lifted up the waves of the sea.
They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths;
their courage melted away in their evil plight;
they reeled and staggered like drunken men
and were at their wits' end.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
He made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
Then they were glad that the waters were quiet,
and he brought them to their desired haven.
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
Let them extol him in the congregation of the people,
and praise him in the assembly of the elders."
(Psalm 107:23-32)
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