Surprise

surprise - How is God surprising?

He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble.

Luke 1:52

[Jesus] gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

Philippians 2:7-8

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.”

Isaiah 55:8

SOMETIMES GOD’S CREATIVITY and power are best seen when he does the opposite of what we would expect. He chose David, the youngest son of Jesse, to be king of Israel rather than the oldest son, as was the custom. He used a donkey to correct the pagan prophet Balaam. He took Saul, the most vicious opponent of the early church, and transformed him into Paul, the most courageous missionary of all time. He cared for and respected women in a time when they had no rights. And God used a crucifixion, the ultimate defeat, and made it the sign of victory over sin and death for all eternity. Perhaps God delights in surprising his people in ways that inspire awe, love, gratitude, and joy. Don’t limit God to the horizon of your own understanding and expectations. He can do far more than we can ask and is far greater than we can imagine. He has wonderful surprises in store for our future.

Prayer Prompts

Lord, one surprise in my life that has been far better than my own plan is . . .

Your Word encourages me to trust you when surprises come because . . .