EXPECTING THE UNEXPECTED By Sally I. Kennedy

Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. Psalm 105:4

Things didn’t go quite like I’d planned today. “Imagine that,” I thought. Well, if there is one thing in life we can be certain of, it’s change. When our kids were growing up, I recall feeling strongly about preparing them for change in their lives, to understand the need to be flexible without compromising our values and who we are.

The names for the Lord God Almighty, our triune God, are many in the Old Testament scriptures. Among them are Jehovah Shammah, the God who is there. That is one of my favorites. Also Jehovah Nissi, the Lord our banner, who goes before us, and Jehovah Rohe, the God who heals.

My personal extra name for God is Jehovah Surprise, the God of the Unexpected. Not that anything happening catches Him off-guard. He’s not up in heaven, looking down, exclaiming, ”Oh my gosh! Look at that!” Rather, I’m the one who is continually surprised by events and people. Sometimes I even surprise myself. That is not always so great.

There’s a saying, ”We make plans and God laughs.” And yet another saying, “Life is what happens while we’re making other plans.”

God may be full of surprises, yet He is still in control, still the sovereign God of the universe, still on His throne, the same yesterday, today, and forever.

The Lord’s love and faithfulness is about the only thing we can expect in the midst of the unexpected. The good news is we can count on Him in our constantly ever-changing world.