Chaos theory is all about extreme sensitivity to initial conditions - change the initial conditions a tiny bit and the final implications are huge. The classic example is a butterfly flaps its wings in Africa and a week later there's a hurricane in the Atlantic. The event is chaotic in the sense that it is unpredictable and we cannot know all the factors that led to the event. When huricanes do occur, no-one tries to find the butterfly that's responsible!
The possibilities of these sorts of events in human spheres is well demonstrated by the film 'Sliding Doors'. There, one small decision to move a child out of the way of someone in a hurry, or not to move the child, causes that person's life to head off in two very different directions. Who knows how many seemingly small decisions we have made have eventually made sizeable differences to our lives or the lives of others?
Well, God does. Chaos theory helps us to understand why God must be sovereign not just over big events or decisions but over absolutely everything that happens, from the flapping of a butterfly's wings to my choice of toothbrush. There is simply no way of us knowing the eventual impact of these seemingly insignificant events and choices. God rules history today, not primarily by suddenly intervening in dramatic ways (though he may do that) but rather by his providential ruling over even the smallest of things. In this way God works all things for the good of those who love him, that his church is built and the earth filled with His glory.
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