The Power of One - Martin Wiles

God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.” Exodus 3:14 NLT

Who knew one CD could change the entire service? 

Our music leader was off for the day. My wife had spent hours putting music together, meeting with the sound technicians, and practicing with the praise team. Sunday morning arrived, and we were excited about the service—until the CD with all the music they planned to use to sing wasn’t in the case. 

Since it was three minutes before services began, my wife’s mind went into shock. She had obviously left the CD in her laptop—which was at home, ten miles away. Getting it wasn’t an option. In a three-minute span, she and the sound techs dug up a few praise songs, and the pianist suggested a couple of hymns. 

Although the service got off to a rocky start—the praise team hadn’t practiced the songs, and my wife’s voice cracked because of seasonal crud—the Spirit of God soon took over and fixed what appeared to be broken. The power of one CD had been trumped by the power of One more powerful. 

Moses experienced the power of One when God instructed him to go before a foreign king and tell him that I AM had sent him to deliver his people from four hundred years of slavery. 

The power of one can be devastating, disturbing, and mind-boggling. One statement from a doctor, “You have cancer.” One call from the boss, “I need to see you in the office immediately.” One text from a girlfriend or boyfriend, “I don’t think we should see each other anymore.” One call from the police, “Your child has been in a bad accident.” One visit from the military chaplain and an officer, “We’re sorry to inform you that your daughter has been killed in action.” The list of ones is endless … and so is the pain they can bring. 

Just as God took over the failed service my wife had planned and soundly defeated the enemy’s effort to quench the moving of God’s Spirit, so he can do the same with any life situation we tackle. He is sovereign. Nothing happens outside of his control. His plans are always better than mine and can never be thwarted by the tactics of Satan. 

Whatever God brings out of the one apparently bad thing will always be better. Trust him to control your one thing. 

Father, I believe you have power over the one thing that seems to have power over me. 

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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. 

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God of the Unexpected - Martin Wiles

O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you. Psalm 63:1 NLT

He bounded into camp and revolutionized our moods.

We were doing what we once enjoyed but hadn’t accomplished lately. My daughter and I left our car in a secluded parking lot, shouldered our backpacks, and hiked inland on the Foothills Trail to Pigpen Falls. Knowing our intended campsite’s popularity, we planned to get there early. After setting up camp, we sat around for a bit before walking a couple of miles down the Chattooga River Trail.

Our attempt to lift our somber mood wasn’t working too well until a black lab suddenly bounced into our camp with a hemlock cone dangling from his mouth. He dropped it at my daughter’s feet and stood back, tail wagging. She got the message and tossed it away. He retrieved. What he really wanted was for her to throw it into the water. As we walked down the Chattooga, he followed. She continued to throw, and he continued to retrieve.

At our turnaround point, we spotted a trout fisherman. So did the dog. Leaving us as quickly as he had come, he took up with the fisherman. Later, the owners passed our camp, and we pointed them to the dog that had altered the atmosphere of our lives.

Like the psalmist, my daughter and I were searching. We had found God in the past, but we needed Him to show up in the present. Several years prior, I had watched my family disintegrate before my eyes. I still battled depression, disappointment, and confusion. My daughter also suffered. She had lost a mother and was presently adjusting to college life.

While I don’t believe we find God in all things, I do think He shows up in shapes and forms we don’t always recognize. He refuses to be confined in a box. Though God wasn’t in the dog—or even transformed into one—He used the dog's presence to bring momentary happiness and relief to two hurting people. God’s usual mode of operation entails showing His love for His creations and His concern for the hurts or tough decisions they’re up against.

Learn to find God’s presence in the out-of-ordinary things. He has a habit of showing up when we least expect it and in forms we might not imagine.

How have you experienced God in unexpected ways?

Father, thank You for noticing me and coming to me in ways I never presumed. 

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God of Surprise - Martin Wiles

But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. Isaiah 53:5 NLT

The news floored us—but it also pleased us.

My wife loves to “set up” couples—especially when they eventually date and even marry. And she had tried to do this with a young man we have known for several years. Each time, he declined her offer, telling her he wasn’t interested in finding anyone at the moment.

Occasionally, he came over to eat supper with us. He loved my wife’s cooking, even if it was nothing but hot dogs. As we sat to eat, my wife asked the normal question: “So, have you found anyone yet?” We both expected his normal answer: “No, and I’m not looking.”

But we didn’t get the traditional answer. “Well, kinda, sorta.”

My wife’s antennas went up, and the questions began. “Tell us about her. What’s her name?”

“I wish you wouldn’t have started with that question,” he said, and then began his story. His description of her interested us: pretty, churchgoer, smart, good job, single mom.

When he got to the single mom part, my wife and I got a puzzled look on my face. I doubted he could be talking about our daughter since my wife had tried to set them up quite a few times to no avail. My wife had to ask, “You’re not talking about . . .?”

He was. As our young friend burst out with laughter—and our daughter sat at the other end of the table with a sly grin on her face—my wife burst into tears, and I sat in shock. A pleasing shock. But then, our daughter is always full of surprises.

God surprised His first-century people as our daughter and friend shocked us. They looked for a warrior Messiah who would ride in on a white horse and deliver them from their Roman oppressors. They didn’t expect Messiah to ride a donkey and allow Himself to be abused, ridiculed, and crucified.

Then again, God is in the surprise business. Just when we think we have Him figured out, He’ll act in a way we don’t expect. He never acts contrary to His holy nature, but there are many surprising ways He can maneuver within the confines of that nature. We think we have life figured out, and He changes something. We imagine we know His plan, and He changes it.

Being a God of surprises challenges our faith and causes it to grow. His ways are higher than ours, so we’ll never figure Him out completely. But we can enough to know what He wants of us and where He wants to take us. That allows for obedience—among the surprises—and that’s what He desires.

Don’t let God’s surprises cause you to doubt His love for you or His guidance in your life.

Prayer: Father, when You surprise us, give us the courage to keep trusting and moving forward in obedience.

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God’s Little (and Not so Little) Surprises - Martin Wiles

Any of you who are his people may go to Jerusalem in Judah to rebuild this Temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, who lives in Jerusalem. And may your God be with you! Ezra 1:3 NLT

She moved from behind the building … graceful … beautiful … a sight to behold.

My wife and I and another couple headed for Cataloochee Valley, North Carolina, hoping to catch a glimpse of elk, which the park service had reintroduced into the Smokies in 2001.

After parking, the first site we visited was the old schoolhouse. Since the door was locked, I moseyed around the side, hoping to get a peek in one of the windows. That’s when my wife hollered, “Woooah.”

As I turned to her and then back to what she hollered at, I saw her. A large mother elk strolling from behind the schoolhouse. She stood, munched on greenery, and let us take as many pictures as we wanted. We walked in her personal space, but she didn’t seem to mind.

After our photo session, we tried to move ahead of her to visit the other sites, but she kept just ahead of us. One motorist warned us that we were in the danger zone, as if we didn’t know. Momma elk finally lumbered into the woods, and we moved on. On our walk back to our vehicle, we saw her two-year-old calf grazing beside the road. She, too, paused for a photo op and then joined her mom in the wooded area.

The captive Jews were surprised, too. They had lingered in Babylonian captivity for seventy years—until King Cyrus took over. A kind-hearted king, he let those who wanted return to their homeland to rebuild the Jerusalem temple.

God often sends little (or big) surprises along our life’s way. Momma elk was one, and seeing her brought us joy. God desires to bring good things into our lives. His surprises often require change. The Jews who returned to Jerusalem had to give up their comfortable lifestyle in Babylon for hard work and persecution in Jerusalem. But those who took the challenge eventually found better days ahead. God’s surprises always do that. Even though the surprise is sometimes unpleasant, the end result will be pleasant.

When God sends surprises, they present a choice. Knowing we were in the danger zone, we could have turned away and not enjoyed the elk’s presence. We chose to stay. Many Jews chose Jerusalem over exotic Babylon.

Learn to enjoy the little—and big—surprises God sends your way. They are always for your good.

Prayer: Father, thank You for the surprises You bring into our lives. May we enjoy them as a sample of Your abiding presence with us.

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Snake Surprise - Martin Wiles

But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!” Acts 3:6 NLT

Little did I know the surprise I was in for as I walked along the ditch bank.

Electronic gadgets were few and far between when I was a boy. Even if they had been prevalent, my parents couldn’t have afforded them or if they could have probably would have chosen not to spend their money on them. They wanted me to use my imagination. So I spent most of my time outdoors, romping through the woods, playing cowboys and Indians, riding my bicycle, and playing ball with the neighborhood kids.

One place where we lived had a deep drainage ditch behind the house. One side was fenced and the other wasn’t. As I walked along the fenced side, enjoying the day, I came face to face with a garter snake. I’ve never been one to fear snakes—as long as I see them first. But this one snuck up on me. Luckily, I grabbed the hog wire fence as I fell backward, which kept me from plummeting into the water-filled ditch. This was one surprise I didn’t appreciate. 

The lame beggar Peter and John encountered, on the other hand, enjoyed his surprise. They were going to the Temple for prayer service; he was sitting beside the gate begging for alms. He expected money; they had none. But what they had, they gave. Through the healing power Jesus had given them, they gave the man a surprise: the ability to walk. 

Life’s surprises may surprise me, but they never surprise God. Sometimes my reactions to the surprises make it appear I’ve forgotten God sees the beginning, the end, and everything in the middle. He knew the surprise was coming. He sent it or allowed it. Surprises are never outside of His control becasue He is sovereign.

Through life’s surprises, God often gives me more than I ask for. The beggar wanted money but received the ability to do something he’d never done: walk. God loves to give large surprises because His love is large. 

I’m also learning to see life’s surprises as God-sent opportunities. Rather than letting the surprises alarm, frighten, or disappoint me, I can learn from them and use them for future service opportunities.

Don’t waste life’s surprises. They may surprise you, but God is working them into His plan for your life.

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Prayer: Father, give us wisdom to trust You by faith when surprises come our way so we’ll know how to appreciate them and use them in Your service. 

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Christmas Surprise - Martin Wiles

Christmas Surprise

As we sat in a circle opening our Christmas gifts, we never imagined the greatest gift was yet to arrive.

For a number of years, our family had gathered on Christmas Eve—or the day before depending on work schedules, to open presents. Everyone sat in a circle while one of the younger members passed out all the presents. When all the gifts had been distributed, we began the hours’ long process of opening them one by one while letting everyone see what the designated recipient had received. 

Though the normal gathering place was Mom’s house, for two years now we had assembled at my middle brother’s home for the celebration. This was one of those years. Everyone delivered their food to the kitchen and their presents to the bottom of the tree nestled in the den. My sister-in-law, like Mary, was great with child—their third. In fact, she was due any day. Read more...

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