Have you ever tried mapping out your whole life? With every step perfectly thought out? Your career is figured out down to the last detail: where you want to live is marked on a map; when you’ll be ready for marriage is notated in a journal; how many kids you want is set in stone…And there’s no room for changes or reconsiderations.
If you’re like me, you want all of these details ahead of time. You also want everything to go exactly the way you planned. If you’re not like me, maybe you go with the flow, making the best of life as it comes. The second approach is probably the best way to handle things in this world. Unfortunately, some of us are wired differently and we prefer to have every detail written out in advance, just to find that we will encounter the unexpected on a daily basis.
God’s plan for our life is specific and strategic. We may have a glimpse of what God wants to do in and through us, but we have no idea the process it will take to accomplish this. What often looks like an inconvenience is actually a blessing in disguise and sometimes what seems like the opportunity of a lifetime can turn into a burden. Regardless of which one we’re facing at the moment, everything works together for our good. The unplanned aspects of life develop our character, helping us to understand what we really want and who we really are, ultimately leading us down God’s path for our life.
Almost every surprise that comes is just that…a surprise. Unexpected, unplanned, and usually happening at the most inconvenient time. Surprises are often called the “suddenlies” of God, because they happen without notice…in other words, SUDDENLY. They don’t fit into our schedule, there’s not even time to process what’s happening, and before you know it, life has completely changed. Life turns upside down and now, you don’t know what to do…except to just go along with it, without fighting, without questioning, because you know that it’s God who made it happen.
We can expect the unexpected to take place. Expectation for God to do something doesn’t mean that we need to control all of the details though. God is 100% capable of executing His plan, all it requires from us is obedience and faith. Proverbs 23:18 (AMP) says, “Surely, there is a future [and a reward], and your hope and expectation will not be cut off.” Another verse declares: “the expectations of the righteous result in joy…” (Proverbs 10:28 CEB) Our responsibility is to discern what God’s will is and wait for His perfect timing, knowing that He will bring about the miraculous in our lives. This requires prayer, faith, and trust, even before we see a change. When we continue to believe that God will move, He will always come through, exceeding our expectation and surprising us with the unexpected.
