May 2021
David Hixon • May 11, 2021
Unexpected
Dealing with the Unexpected.
Life is full of unexpected events. Sometimes it feels like the unexpected becomes almost the norm. And yet, for most people, when there is too much “unexpected” it leads to turmoil and stress. It seems we are built to handle a certain amount of the unexpected but we all have a point where the unexpected overwhelms us. Some people fall into depression and a dark place. But the unexpected isn’t always bad. Sometimes it can be good ... very good. Of course, it is easier to respond to the good than it is the bad. We don’t really need a guide on what to do when a check for a $1000 shows up in our mailbox. We don’t need someone to counsel with us when we meet the “love of our life.” We can usually figure out what to do when God blesses us beyond all that we can dream or imagine. But what do we do when the unexpected is bad?
Unexpected … “unforeseen or surprising.” There are lots of guides online for how to deal with the unexpected. One I saw recently suggested six things: 1) Accept that unexpected events happen 2) Think before you act 3) Have a positive attitude 4) Expect and plan for a great outcome 5) Talk to someone you trust 6) Make it a learning opportunity. Not terrible guidelines but does God’s Word give us any help?
“Fear of the unexpected often paralyzes us and stops us from stepping into the fullness of the life that God has for us.” Psalm 119:68 reminds us that “You are good and do good; teach me your statutes.” 2 Timothy 1:7 is one we quote a lot around our house, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” And John 10:10 tells us that “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Some people live “waiting for the other shoe to drop” but scripture reminds us that God is a good God and wants good for us so we don’t need to live a life of fearing the unexpected … EVEN THOUGH we all know the unexpected will come. God is still in control and has a plan for that.
Some of you are saying right now … but David what about the unexpected death of a loved one or a terminal diagnosis. As most of you know NACH recently lost one of our boys due to an illness. It has been devastating and definitely unexpected. Some of us imagined what a great testimony it would be when God healed him and yet it didn’t happen. Jennifer and I have a friend, a young woman, who has a terminal disease. We have been brought to our knees with tears because of this but the testimony of her and her husband has been beyond the ordinary. Their ability to praise God in the midst of the most heartbreaking time in anyone’s life is awe-inspiring. I don’t think I could do it. But the unexpected comes for us all. Today, I was hit by an unexpected event. I accidentally backed my vehicle into a post. Then I found out our insurance deductible is $995 (what were we thinking??) and though I didn’t scream and wail I still am mourning the loss of the money and time and trouble that is to come. Unexpected events happen for me and you all the time. And even though we ALL have unexpected events we are called not to fear them.
I also know we were never called to live an ordinary life but instead to pursue a supernatural life of faith in Him. Acts 3:1-10 tells the story of a beggar who was lame from birth who encountered the unexpected. “The man in this story had a limitation that got in the way of him fully expecting God to work in a powerful and personal way.” What situation or condition do we have that keeps us from fully trusting God and expecting His best? God doesn’t always respond with healing like he did with this man, but God still moves in supernatural ways in our lives. Are we looking for God to move when the unexpected comes into our lives? Maybe God will be more glorified through NOT healing. I think of the two boys at NACH who have recently prayed to receive Christ. We and they, because of Jaheel’s death, sensed the urgency of life and the greater need in their own lives. Would that have happened with the healing of Jaheel? I don’t know. But our prayer is that God will continue to use His death to bring others to Himself.
There is a story in the Old Testament about a time when Israel faced an unexpected attack. This is such an important incident in Israel’s history that it appears three times in the Bible (2 Kings 18; 2 Chronicles 32). Sennacherib, King of Assyria, was attacking Jerusalem with a huge army. They were taunting the people, ‘On what are you basing this confidence of yours?’ (Isaiah 36:4). The Israelites were being taunted and ridiculed for their faith in God. It must have seemed like an impossible situation – no one else had ever been delivered out of the ‘hand of the king of Assyria’ (v.18). But they did not answer the taunting. Hezekiah asked Isaiah to pray (v.4). Isaiah responded by saying that God’s message was: ‘Don’t be upset by what you’ve heard... I personally will take care of him’ (vv.6–7, MSG). King Hezekiah got on his face before God and prayed like he had never prayed before. And this is what God did in that unexpected situation. Isaiah sent him a message, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Because you have prayed to me… I will defend this city and save it, for my sake and for the sake of David my servant!’ (vv.21,35) God heard the prayer of Hezekiah and Isaiah and he rescued and delivered his people (vv.36–38). God still answers prayer today!!
Hebrews 12:1-3 reminds us that we are to fix our eyes on Jesus and expect the unexpected. How do we fix our eyes on Him? In today’s world it is exceptionally easy to get distracted and fix our eyes somewhere else. Temptation is all around us. Things we shouldn’t look at or listen to are easily available. But what about seemingly good things that distract us from Jesus? What about good causes that take our passion somewhere away from Him? I am often reminded as we minister to the boys at the home that even though it is a good thing it must never be so all-encompassing that I lose sight of Jesus. Maybe its your family or children or spouse or job that get your sight off Him. Maybe its politics or Covid or the craziness in the world right now. And when those unexpected things come, we are not ready because we have taken our eyes off Him. Maybe He even allows those unexpected things into our lives to remind us where we need to be looking. And I think too often we depend on what other people can do and we lose faith in God. God can move in your (and my) unexpected moments in ways that people cannot. Put your faith and trust in Him and watch Him move.