“God Will Show You Favor In Unexpected Places And Situations”

Isaiah 58:11

Unexpected is defined as unforeseen; surprising; sudden; unpredictable; out of the blue. 

God delights in surprising us, in revealing the ways in which he is not like us. Saul never expected Jesus’ appearance to him on the Damascus road. Ananias was surprised by the commission to lay hands on a sightless Saul, welcoming him into the community of believers. The radical change in Saul of Tarsus was certainly unexpected by those who had heard of him or had experienced his tirade against Christians. Our God likes surprises. And, He does the unexpected as well as the expected in our lives. God shows up in unexpected places for:

Abraham in old age, Ballaam in a donkey, Caleb in a winless war, Daniel in a lion’s den, Eve through the pains of childbearing, Felix in truth spoken by a common criminal, Gideon in a wool fleece, Hosea in an unfaithful wife, Isaiah in the death of his King, Jacob in a wrestling match, King David in the death of a child, Lazarus in his own death, Moses in a shrub, Noah in an ark, Onesimus in a letter, Peter on the shore, Queen Esther in a kidnapping, Ruth in a foreign land, Samuel in the middle of the night, Timothy in his youthful years, Uzziah in a disease, Vashti in a demotion, the Widow in two mites, Xerxes in a second marriage, Yoshua in a rag-tag army, Zacchaeus in a tree. God shows up in unexpected situations: When choosing a people he came to the smallest. When choosing a king he came to the youngest. When choosing disciples he came to the least qualified. When choosing a gospel spreader he came to the gospel hater. Israel expected blessing through birth-order, but God chose the second son. They expected God would protect the strong, but His law protected the widows, the fatherless, and the alien. They expected the Messiah would come from the religious elite, but he came from a young woman. They expected the Messiah in Jerusalem, but he was born in Bethlehem. They expected he would come in glory, but he came in infancy.

I come by this morning to remind you God will show you favor in unexpected places and situations. All you have to do is keep the faith and trust Him. I’m a living witness, He will show up and show out and do exceedingly and abundantly above all we could ever ask or think. He’s able!!! Be bless and I love you!!! JE