When You Least Expect It
Jun/091
I'm currently reading through the book of Luke. Yesterday I read the account of the angel Gabriel's appearance to Zechariah. (Luke 1:5-17)
As I read this story, it struck me how unexpected Gabriel's appearance was for Zechariah. Zechariah had been a priest all of his adult life. He had served in the temple countless times. He could probably perform his priestly duties in his sleep. But then, from out of the blue, he witnessed a mighty move of God in the middle of his ordinary routine.
Luke writes that Zechariah was "startled" and "gripped with fear" by this experience. Even though he was a faithful man of God, he didn't expect to see God's power displayed like this. He expected to perform his duty in the temple and then go on his way. But God showed up in an unexpected way and it forever changed the course of Zechariah's life.
But God did this in His time. As I said, Zechariah had been a faithful priest all his life. It wasn't until he was an old man that God chose to move in this way.
If Zechariah hadn't remained faithful…if he hadn't faithfully carried out his God-given role for so many years…he would have missed out on this powerful move of God.
If you're feeling like God isn't doing much in your life, just hang on. Stay faithful. Don't walk away. You never know when God will show up and everything will change.
God seems to relish the element of surprise. He enjoys showing up when you least expect it.
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10:28 am on July 1st, 2009
Most of his surprises crack me up. He works in funny ways. :)