No surprises

Have you had something go wrong in your life recently?

I’ve been part of large events that get cancelled or dramatically changed just days beforehand.

I’ve forgotten a really important grocery item at the store.

I’ve asked someone else to do something and they’ve done it completely differently than what I was intending.

I’ve had someone get sick and not be able to do something we had been looking forward to for a long time.

Mortal life is filled with all sorts of things that “go wrong”, from small but still obnoxious errors, to big dramatic changes that are stressful and sometimes even heartbreaking.

Things weren’t supposed to happen like this!

When Jeremiah was a prophet, he was asked by the Lord to have his scribe record some important prophecies.

But then the king took the scroll with Jeremiah’s revelations and burned it, piece by piece!

What?!

The Lord ASKED for these to be written down, and now they were quite literally gone in flames.

But God knew what was going to happen.

“Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll”. (Jeremiah 36:28)

And then the Lord gave Jeremiah even MORE new revelation to include!

Isn’t it comforting to know that nothing comes as a surprise to God?

He knew what the king would do, and He had a plan in place to keep these important prophecies preserved.

People still have their agency.

I’m sure the Lord hoped the king wouldn’t burn Jeremiah’s writings.

And maybe He hoped that the people around you would have made better choices, too.

But He still isn’t even surprised.

In fact, it seems to be these kind of moments when God works His greatest miracles. He rains down blessings even more. He softens our hearts at just the right moment.

Nothing is a surprise for the Lord.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black