The Unexpected

The unexpected is…well…unexpected.  Sometimes the unexpected is good, but sometimes the unexpected can be a little bit of a sucker-punch—take the wind out of your lungs and leave you gasping for air.  Circumstances can change as quickly as a clear blue sky can suddenly and unexpectedly be inundated with rolling, rumbling purple clouds.  The storm may seem out-of-nowhere, but it’s there to make its mark. 

What do we do when that happens?  What do we do when the unexpected comes in, takes our breath away, and darkens the sky?  We may be afraid, and that’s okay because God will lead us out of that place of fear and into a place of trust:  “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.”  Psalm 56:3   “I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.’”  Psalm 91:2    

Not only will the Lord bring us into a place of trust and out of a place of fear, He will also bring us into a place of comfort:  “In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul.”  Psalm 94:19   “You, who have shown me great and severe troubles, shall revive me again, and bring me up again from the depths of the earth.  You shall increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side.”  Psalm 71:20,21    

And the Lord will, at the appointed time, deliver us:  “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.  The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.  Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”  Psalm 34:17-19   Truly, it is comforting to know that the Lord hears us and will deliver us, but even more so because it also PROMISES He is NEAR to us in these times.  Wow…  To know that HE is near to us, close to us…what more do we need? 

Today, let’s take a moment to read Deuteronomy 31:8 and be reminded that the Lord will never leave us nor will He forsake us.  Just because life has inflicted us with a punch or a storm, this does not mean God has left the scene.  His is still here, and He will carry us through to the end of the trial whatever that trial may be.