I've believed the themes of Order Disorder Reorder were relevant. And, I hoped that releasing the record in three parts over the course of a year would be meaningful (the Order EP was released last year). But, who could've predicted the release date for the Disorder EP, that we decided six months ago, would end up being so relevant; the very week our whole world is upended by a microscopic virus that is casting a tall shadow over all that we care about?
The first track, "Through," opens with: "I see the trouble standing before me/Like a mountain, it's like a mountain/My spirit trembles under its shadow/I can't escape it/Lord, help me face it/I need You to lead me through/Walking before me, behind and beside me/I'm following You/The only way out is if You lead me through."
If there's anything we've learned over the last week, it's that life will bring some storms that we just can't hide from. Sometimes, the only way out is through. But, as a person of faith, I believe we don't face it alone.
I wrote the songs on Disorder, hoping they could serve as handrails for people to hold on to in the storms of life, to help steady them as they walk through their difficulty on their way to renewal on the other side.
Order Disorder Reorder is as good of language as any I've heard to describe this journey of transformation we so often find ourselves in.
Order is when things are going more or less the way we think they ought to be. Order is a good thing until we love it too much and try to preserve it at the expense of learning new things.
Disorder is when our order falls apart. Maybe through a relationship that breaks down, or a job loss, or even a global pandemic. And, though it can be scary and painful, disorder isn't necessarily an evil. It's so often where we meet with God most profoundly and where he usually gets his best work done in us–setting the stage for our transformation. We've all gone through hardships and came out the other side as a wiser, stronger, more humble, and compassionate version of ourselves.
And, of course, that's the beginning of Reorder. But, that's a story for further down the road.
For today, I pray that God will help us embrace Disorder as a place of hope where he meets with us and our remaking begins.
That old trope comes to mind about Chinese calligraphy and how the character for the word "crisis" is a combination of the characters for "danger" and "opportunity." Likewise, it can help us be at peace in the storm if we understand disorder as the locus of some of God's most powerful work in our lives.
I hope you find these songs a meaningful, hopeful, and steady companion on your own journey of transformation through order, disorder, and reorder. Maybe now more than ever.
Jason Gray is a recording artist on Centricity Records. His Disorder EP is now available.
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