Expect the Unexpected

Expect the Unexpected

This phrase is heard more and more on adventure shows to documentaries, on extreme sports to interviews prior to big games.  Over the years that I have taught on prayer and hearing the voice of the Lord I have often asked people about hearing something they have never thought of before.  What is it like to think a new thought or to hear a word that you never knew existed?  To do this we need humility of heart and a faith that is open to the reality of God’s voice.  These are also the conditions that are needed to expect the unexpected.

The Lord exists beyond our understanding of time and history.  One of the things that the Holy Spirit does is reveal “what is to come”.  This knowledge of the unknown comes to us through the indwelling Spirit.  It touches our mind and our emotions.  We feel God’s revelation as much as engage it mentally.  Often those who have control issues miss out on this aspect of the Lord as they are not easily convinced that anything that they are not controlling is of any value.  The other side of this coin is those who need everything to be unplanned or spontaneous for them to consider it from the Lord.  God deals in both planned and unplanned events and often uses books, history or media as His tool to bring to you something totally new and revelatory. 

Right now I am fighting my own battle on expecting the unexpected.  I am battling faith to see God move in my community.  I tend to be overcome with bad news and negative facts.  From the weather channel to the news room, from the job forecast to the evaluation of the Church, everything seems to be surrounded by fear and failure.  I believe we now live in a culture where saying something negative is expected.  If you are hopeful or positive, you are asked to keep quite.  If you grumble and complain, you might be give a microphone and platform.

I don’t have the spiritual gift of cheerleader and being overly positive is not something I do – ever.  But I want to be a man of faith and hope.  I want to expect God to move upon a world of fault and failure with His Spirit and new life.  I want to look at sin and sickness and see God’s heart to forgive and heal.  I want to look at poverty and despair and see God’s provision and plan to bind up the broken hearted.  In short, I want to be a man who expects the unexpected.

I’m going to meditate on the following passage to see if I can grow.  I want to have God use “what I do know” to lead me into “what I don’t know”.  In the end I hope I am like John who can see the Lamb of God when others cannot.

Joh 1:29-34 ESV(29)  The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
(30)  This is he of whom I said, 'After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.'
(31)  I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel."
(32)  And John bore witness: "I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.
(33)  I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'
(34)  And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God."