Unexpected
“Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!”
Truthfully, the hardest part of writing daily devotions is the decision to start writing. I have to pause my audiobook or podcast or music as I sit down to read the scriptures. I hate to say it, but sometimes, I hit pause begrudgingly. Today was one of those days. But the readings took me by surprise. Our church was actually a little witty today.
In the first reading, David takes Goliath down with a rock, and then the Psalm response is, “Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!” I didn’t expect to chuckle reading the Psalm. But I did. The pun was unexpected, and it disarmed all the walls I put up. And like He so often does, Jesus surprised me. He used the unexpected to open me up. This isn’t a rare thing in our faith; often,
Jesus uses the unexpected to open us up.
When God surprises me, it totally disarms me. He’ll send me a blessing out of nowhere, and all of a sudden, I’m overcome with gratefulness for His love. All the frustrations of the day melt away, and it leaves space for gratitude. When He sends the unexpected, I’m reminded of how well He knows me - and I feel seen. His love becomes personal.
God’s love for us is personal. He doesn’t love anyone the way that He loves you - no one else gets loved exactly the same way. His love for you is unique; it’s personalized and specialized. And He loves to love you in a way that no one else can. He’s a good God with good love. Let the unexpected blessings, the happy coincidences, and full-on surprises remind you how much the Father thinks of you and how deeply He knows you.
Father,
Thank You for loving us with a personal love. Thank You for surprising us with Your humor and Your love and Your blessings.
Father, help us to see You in every good thing. Increase our capacity for gratitude and teach us how to turn every blessing into thanksgiving and praise.
God, we love You. Thank You for loving us so well and so deeply. Remind us over and over that every good gift comes from You. Amen.