God’s Preferred Method
For he looks throughout the whole earth and sees everything under the heavens.
(Job 28:24)
Our idea of the will of God is often that He leads as we would lead and plans as we would plan.
But that’s not the case. His will is not like that at all. In fact, here are four simple principles we need to keep in mind regarding God’s leading.
First: God’s preferred method is surprise. So expect surprises. I repeat, surprises are the rule, not the exception.
Second: His surprises require flexibility and adaptability. When you get in a situation that you didn’t expect, you have to adapt; you are forced to adjust. God hasn’t made a mistake. You haven’t made a mistake. You’re just going through the process of internal development that is all part of God’s arrangement of events, painful though that may be.
Third: Behind God’s surprises are purposes we are not aware of. Evaluate them. Remind yourself that this is no mistake. This is no accident. God has deliberately planned this. Rather than feeling sorry for yourself, pray. Rather than becoming embittered, angered, and disillusioned, rather than calling the whole thing “a mistake,” ask, “What can I learn from this?”
Fourth: When God surprises us, He supplies sufficient grace to handle the unexpected. As we lean on Him, He supplies what we need to endure whatever His will encompasses for us.
God’s surprises can be very scary and unsettling. They can push you to the absolute limit. But you know what you’re learning to do in this process of dealing with God’s surprises? You’re learning to think theologically . . . to view life from a vertical perspective. By doing so, you can release your child. You can even accept mistreatment without becoming bitter. You can handle delayed gratification and learn patience. The list goes on and on.
The sovereign God of surprises still reigns supreme. How grateful I am for that. And it could be that the biggest surprise of my life, or your life, is just ahead. Or perhaps you’re right in the midst of one of those surprises. It’s possible that God’s surprise is intended to help you to see for the first time in your whole life your great need for Him.
Taken from The Mystery of God’s Will by Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright © 1999 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. Used by permission of HarperCollins Christian Publishing. www.harpercollinschristian.com
