Surprise Visit
Our lives are filled with surprises; some we are thankful for, others we could do without. A surprise birthday party, surprise bouquet of flowers, or surprise call from a long-lost friend, those warm our hearts. However, that broken window you came home to after a weekend away, the oil spot on the garage floor under your car, the unexpected “we need to talk” from your spouse, that uh-oh you hear from the team trainer as they tend to your injured shoulder, those are surprises you could have done without. Many years ago, one of our daughters inadvertently dialed 9-1-1 before quickly hanging up, and soon thereafter, we got a surprise visit from the local police department, who, just for the record, were not amused.
Not only do people and things surprise us, but God also often shows up in unexpectedly or in unexpected ways. As followers of Jesus, we are instructed to seek God’s guidance through the leading of the Holy Spirit. We most often find God’s guidance through prayer, “alone time” with Him, and the reading of Scripture. God sometimes speaks to us in other ways too, but prayer, reading and meditating upon His Word, and quiet times with the Lord should be part of our everyday rhythm, whether for daily guidance or wisdom for a difficult situation or decision.
Sometimes we are looking for God and He shows up in ways we expect, while other times He comes unexpectedly or in a way that catches us off guard. Often, because of how our minds work, we tend to put God in a box and when He acts outside that box, we fail to recognize that it is God. I recall a time when I had a particularly difficult decision to make and one night, in the middle of a rare good night’s sleep, God unexpectedly woke me and surprisingly spoke clearly to me, giving me my answer. I accepted His answer, truthfully, somewhat reluctantly, and while I did not know it at the time, it was a watershed moment in moving us into a life of ministry and church planting.
After Adam and Eve rebelled by eating the forbidden fruit, God showed up and walked with them in the Garden (Genesis 3:8). Moses was minding his own business, tending his sheep like he had done for forty years, when God showed up and spoke to Him in a burning bush (Exodus 3:1-6). God showed up to Jacob in a wrestling match (Genesis 32:22-32). Daniel was protected in the lion’s den (Daniel 6:16-28). Gideon experienced God in wool fleece (Judges 6:36-40). In 1 Kings 19:11-13, God revealed Himself to the prophet Elijah in an unexpected way. Not through powerful forces, but rather, through a low whisper, literally, a gentle blowing. The Christmas Story is one unexpected event after another, culminating in God showing up in a most unexpected way – as a little baby.
God has been making surprise visits since the first pages of the Bible, and He continues to come in unexpected and often surprising ways. When God visits, it is for a purpose. So, today, keep an open heart and open mind, an attentive ear, an observing eye; you just never know when or where He will show up!
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