Expect the Unexpected - Martin Wiles

Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. 1 Peter 4:12 NLT

Ominous clouds threatened as my wife and I eased into the parking space. We did not expect the unexpected. 

Hot, humid weather had peppered the previous week. Pop-up showers increased by the day. But on one particular evening, I had a wedding to officiate. A few rain showers had already passed by earlier in the afternoon, and I hoped for fair weather since the reception was outside.

Shortly after we pulled into our parking space, large pellets of rain began to fall. As the winds increased, I anxiously watched the reception tent. Although a few odds and ends blew away, most things stayed in place. They had expected the unexpected. The tent was securely staked. Long, heavy tablecloths clung to the tables. Wrapped utensils kept the napkins from blowing away. Apart from a bit of trash and dirt blown in by the wind, the reception went on as usual despite the earlier storm.

Peter speaks of another type of storm: persecution. And early believers were facing their share of it. They might have been surprised, but they shouldn’t have been. After all, Jesus had been persecuted and told them they would be as well.

When we remember the impact of sin on people and the world in general, we will no longer be surprised by the trials we face. People infected by sin will behave in harmful ways. Sinful natures are responsible for physical and verbal abuse, crimes of all sorts, divorce, financial mismanagement, and elder abuse. The list is endless. The infection of sin can also make nature misbehave. Tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, etc.

But not all trials are caused by sin or sinful people. As long as they don’t violate God's nature, God, too, can send trials. The Bible is adorned with stories that show how he did just that. The difference is that God’s trials are beneficial. When we respond to them with a positive attitude and draw closer to him for wisdom and guidance, we grow spiritually, and our faith is enhanced. Remaining in a close relationship with Christ helps us survive and even thrive when the unexpected comes along.

Don’t let the unexpected blow you away. Remain grounded in Christ.

Father, when the trials of life come, may I find my anchor in you. 

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Expect the Unexpected - Martin Wiles

Don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. 1 Peter 4:12 NLT

A deer in a dove field was not what I expected.

While I didn’t grow up in the country, both sets of my grandparents had. Dove hunting was one part of country life I enjoyed. One of my cousins perched me and another cousin atop his car, spun out through a field—slinging dust and us across the hood of his car-- and finally deposited us at one edge of the field. Now that his antics had stirred up everything in sight, we waited for the doves to fly across.

As I lingered, what came wasn’t doves but a cry, “Shoot him, shoot him.”

As I shifted my eyes from the sky to the ground, I saw a large buck thrashing across the field and aiming directly at me. Although I had buckshot, I had no time to load it. I shot, but to no avail. I was expecting doves . . . not a buck.

Peter’s audience, early believers, was peppered by persecution. Being a Christian in the first century was dangerous—and sometimes life-threatening. If Jesus was persecuted and killed, they shouldn’t expect any less by identifying with Him.

Expectations fill our lives. Spouses expect their spouses to love them, not leave them. Employees expect their bosses to pay them, not fire them. Children expect parents to love them, not abuse them. Landlords expect their tenants to pay them, not abuse their dwellings.

But the unexpected also dots our lives: abuse, wrecks, broken bones, life-altering events, tragedies, financial meltdowns, emotional battles, and attacks from Satan and those who represent him.

We shouldn’t be surprised by the unexpected attacks. We live in a shattered world ruled by an evil person who loves nothing more than to see us turn our backs on God and descend into the pit of bitterness and anger.

Expecting the unexpected, however, helps us respond more healthily. Trusting in a loving God, believing He is in control, and asking Him for strength to face what’s assaulting us is always the healthier approach. God allows nothing that isn’t for our ultimate good.

Prepare for the unexpected. It’s just around the corner.

Father, give us wisdom and courage to face the unexpected. 

Tweetable: How do you face the unexpected? 

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