God of surprises!

'We must prepare ourselves for bad surprises in life, but we should not forget the hand of God in all things. "

Howard Butt, Jr.


Recently I accepted an invitation to an interview with a newspaper - I was not very prone to do. The pressures of schedule, added to anxiety about the questions that would be made, I left negative and reluctant.

But God surprised me. The person who interviewed me was extremely dynamic, full of enthusiasm and joy. Rather than pass what I thought before the interview gave me breath and energy for the day. Fortunately - though reluctant - I prayed as I headed for the interview to find the reporter. God answered my prayers in seconds.

Whitney Balliet wrote a valuable book on jazz, entitled "The sound of surprise. In the book, he talks about the unpredictability of jazz. In this genre, you never know what's coming next - the rhythms, harmonies, etc.. - And that is something extraordinary jazz. He always surprises us.

Such is the life and work. The only certainty is change, it always comes as a surprise. We can even predict the arrival of a change but not know its details. The surprises that God sends are usually mundane and ordinary. Unfortunately, he did not let us surprise you. Instead, we live in fear of the bad surprises. We want to anticipate them, having faced the, let's take back control of the situation.

Of course, we must prepare for the bad surprises in life, but we should not forget the hand of God in all things. Furthermore, we must be careful that our expectations do not lead our way. Much of the joy in our life is determined by how we react, we react with joy and gladness, or dissatisfaction and fear.

You remember the story of Paul and Silas in prison? Perhaps the two of you are tempted to give up sleep to forget the unpleasant surprises that could bring the chain. Instead, Paul and Silas have turned the corner on God's surprises. That's when the night started to get interesting! The prison doors opened, a guard almost killed himself, and a community was spiritually blessed. What should be a desperate night became a night of joy and surprise! (At 16)

Unfortunately, because of our nature, we tend to see life with a look at ourselves. All experienced betrayal at some point in our lives. We all learned that surprises can be unpleasant.

How we protect you from bad surprises without being hostage to fear? How do we continue to enjoy the surprises of God in the ordinary?

Many would like to think in terms of complex formulas and rules. In fact, the formula is pretty simple. Our joy begins and ends with faith with thanksgiving. Cultivate a life of attention. Jesus constantly told his disciples that they were aware, pay attention to the finer things in life. Gratitude requires faith and faith produces gratitude. Ingratitude is the fruit of unbelief. A god ignored is a God denied.

When we live with gratitude - and with proper humility - we are constantly amazed. Much of the wonders and beauty of life comes from the encounter with the surprises. We were surprised, but not God. The resurrection of Christ is the great surprise of the story. That is why "all things work together for good to them that love God" (Romans 8:28).


Source: www.cristianismohoje.com.br