A God of Surprises

“I am doing a new thing . . making a way in the desert.” Isaiah 43:19 NIV

“God is absolutely capable of anything, equally great at everything.”

My thoughts today are about “a God of surprises.”

Some people love a good surprise; some don’t like that at all! I am not all that sure where I stand in that spectrum of preferences. It’s strange how hard people work to make life routine and predictable then wonder why they are bored with it all. God, it seems, is always a surprise in one way or another. If you are looking for predictability, God is probably not where you should look. Every time you think God will do something the same way He did last time, you will be surprised.

Your God has the abilities for incredible diversity and unlimited possibilities. If I were a creator, I would probably have made one or two species, with a limited number of variations. You can’t count all the distinct species God created, from mini to mammoth! Wouldn’t the seven colors of the rainbow have been sufficiently beautiful without nature’s countless hues of color as combinations of those? God is absolutely capable of anything He wishes to accomplish, equally good at everything He does. We are not; maybe that’s why we are surprised when He is.

“Watch for the new thing I am going to do. It is happening already – you can see it now! I will make a road through the wilderness and give you streams of water there.” Isaiah 43:19 TEV. Did you notice the object of all this? It is all about you, and for you. Maybe God is just showing off for grand effect? No, He has no need to impress. God surprises you with what you could not expect apart from Him. The very description of a wilderness is an impassable, undesirable, uninhabitable place – until God makes a road and streams of refreshment there – just for you.

When you are in a place you never wanted to be, facing a task you never wanted to have, with resources too limited for what you need to do. Surprise! God will be there! Daniel found God in a lions’ den, and his friends found Him in a fiery furnace. The disciples found Him in the middle of a threatening sea, smack dab in a terrible storm. Hopeless lepers found God in their impossibility and despair. A widow burying her son found God interrupting the funeral, and herself taking her son home. Two sisters found God commanding their dead brother to live, and He did!

Need I recite more instances? Bewildered and frightened disciples buried a Savior and three days later found Him standing in the locked room with them. God surprises you when and where you least expect Him to be. “Now glory be to God! By His mighty power at work within us, He is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare ask or hope.” Ephesians 3:20 NLT. You would think after a while you and I would not be so surprised! It seems like eventually you would be surprised only if God did not do the things He is capable of doing. Read 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 NKJV.

Maybe you and I would live more surprising lives ourselves, if we were more convinced of the greatness and power of such an amazing God of surprises! “And many signs and wonders were done through the apostles . . and the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” Acts 4:43/47 NKJV. That’s what God can do through people just like you.

My prayer for you today is that you will stand in awe and wonder of a God who never ceases to surprise.