The God of Surprises

8/1/2017 UPDATE NOTE:  I like to look back and see what I was doing/thinking in previous years around this same date, and I came across this post, which was written on 8/2/15, just a few months before I retired. I am sure that is the big decision that I was wrestling with on that particular day. I am happy to say that I did retire as planned, and that it was the best decision I ever made! (Well, apart from getting married and having babies, that is!)  God has been with me throughout these days and has provided all our needs even better than I ever expected.  I want to share this post with you today, because there may be someone out there struggling with some kind of important decision, and perhaps there will be something here for you as well!  Our God IS the God of surprises...good things that He wants to share with us and bless us.  We just have to trust Him to lead the way and not worry about the future.  He has us in the palm of His hand...and we need not fear!!

Original Post 8/2/2015:
"When everything seems to be going wrong, refuse to get discouraged.  Remember that I AM a God of surprises: I am not limited by the way things are or by the paltry possibilities you can see.  I am infinitely creative and powerful. With ME all things are possible!"   

From Jesus Today, 

by Sarah Young, #39.

  

I read this particular passage in Sarah Young's Jesus Today  a couple of days ago, and it impressed me so much that I made a notation at the bottom of the page with the date I had read it so that I would look back at that on a future date and remember...

That future date was today, just five days later.  I've been wrestling with some personal decisions and thought I had it all figured out...and then got hit with a reality check and it appeared that all my dreams and aspirations were going to fall flat and I would have to give it up.  Last night before I fell asleep I asked my husband to please pray for me because I was so frustrated, disappointed and feeling rather despondent.  He prayed the sweetest prayer and asked the Lord to comfort me and to restore my faith and hope.  I drifted off to sleep with a tiny flicker of hope in my heart, but still doubting that anything would change.

This morning I woke up feeling refreshed and rested, but still wasn't too sure that anything could change. Actually, I just didn't think about it at all.  Sunday mornings are busy for us, preparing our house for our home Bible study and worship service in addition to the normal routines of breakfast, getting dressed and sometimes even taking a quick walk.  Today we had the added "pleasure" of removing a tick off of my husband's back and trying to dig the head out when it refused to detach itself.  (Yes, we live in the woods. Ticks are pretty common here...something to check for constantly). That certainly was not something we wanted to tackle on a Sunday morning when we were supposed to be preparing ourselves for worship and delving into the Scriptures.  But it kept my mind off of other things.

During our Bible Study time we prayed for others who are going through difficult times, both in health issues and other personal issues, but I didn't think to mention my concerns.  God already knew what was on my heart.  One of the members of our group...actually the only one who came today due to many of the others having health issues or other personal issues keeping them away...and this particular one was having her own serious concerns but she wanted to come anyway...she said that she wanted to pray for our family...and that she does pray for us every day...whether she knows anything in particular to pray for or not...and that touched my heart. I didn't HAVE to say anything...God was already working on it.

This eagle is a reminder of God's "surprises"

So after our service was over and everyone went home and we retreated back into our normal routine again...changing clothes, preparing lunch, etc., I suddenly thought of something I had totally forgotten about...a possible answer to my dilemma! It was one of those "lightbulb over the head" moments...you know, when the little light comes on and you have an idea...or you become "enlightened" about something heretofore hidden from your view/thoughts?  Could that have been an answer to prayers so quickly?  Could it have been God's way of reminding me to:

"Remember that I am a God of surprises: I am not limited by the way things are or by the paltry possibilities you can see.  I am infinitely creative and powerful.  

With ME all things are possible!"  (see Matthew 19:26)

I can only say that it was information that I needed to be able to proceed with "the plan".  It was the encouragement I needed to have hope restored.  

One of the other verses referenced in this particular passage from Jesus Today is Lamentations 3:25-26:

"The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,

to the soul who seeks Him.

It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord."

God has shown me through this little experience that I need to be patient and wait on the Lord to work out all of the details before I start making plans...but that once He has given me a dream (and I do believe it comes from Him), He will bring it to pass in HIS time.  I do not need to fear or lose hope when things don't look exactly like I'd planned or when the timing is a little off from MY timing...I just need to trust Him to work it out HIS way, in HIS time.  He knows my needs, and He also knows my heart.  He has already dispatched helpers to come to my rescue even before I knew I needed them.

Another portion of the passage from Sarah Young's Jesus Today #39 says the following:

"Through eyes of faith, see Me (God) on the path before you, beckoning you on,

one step at a time.  Looking to Me consistently will increase your strength and valor."

Yes, Lord, help me to keep my eyes focused on YOU consistently as I take one step at a time. It is comforting to know that YOU are already there, and that You have already made provision for ALL my need.  Praise God!  Amen.