Surprised By God

Troy's message on Sunday had me thinking the rest of the day. We are loved by a God who loves to surprise us. Just think about Mary and Martha in John 11. As Troy pointed out, they couldn't even conceive what was about to happen. If you had been here, they told Jesus, you could have healed our brother. In their minds, the chance was lost. Lazarus, their brother, was dead, and that was the end of the story.

But they were wrong.

With Jesus, the end of the story is just the beginning of something new, unexpected, surprising.

I love movies with big plot twists. I like realizing I was watching an entirely different plot unfold, just hidden from view. When the twist suddenly comes to light, I want to watch again, to find the clues scattered through the film. There's a new joy in seeing the movie with new knowledge. Think of the first time you saw M. Night Shyamalan's The Sixth Sense, or Christopher Nolan's The Prestige. Suddenly all the throw away lines and moments that seemed insignificant are revealed to be telling their own story. I love watching these movies over again to see the new story just beneath the surface.

"God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 reminds us that God loves to surprise us. When we were helpless in our sin, when we couldn't help ourselves out of our situation, when we thought all hope was lost, that's when God surprised us: it is finished. 

The price is paid. Our sin has been atoned for. And God did it for us. He came and willingly went to the cross on our behalf. That's how much He loves us. If that isn't surprising, I don't know what is. With Jesus, the end of the story is actually the beginning of redemption, sanctification, new life, pointing always to the day when He will return for us. When we realize that plot twist, we see the real story just under the surface. 

(Side note: my daughter and I have been reading through The Jesus Storybook Bible. It's a great way to read the story while also seeing the bigger story of Jesus within all the smaller stories of the Bible. I highly recommend it.)

When was the last time you recognized being surprised by God? It happens all the time, if you look for it. In the light of knowing the plot twist, that God loves you so much that He would do everything to be with you, look at your story again, and see God's story just under the surface...

You are loved.

You are His.

You are part of the greatest, the best, story.